


The Farthest Heaven

by writergeekcos



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), 七つの大罪 - 鈴木央 | Nanatsu no Taizai | The Seven Deadly Sins - Suzuki Nakaba (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Mild Language, melizabeth, mild alcohol use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-15
Updated: 2020-03-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:01:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 20,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22262245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writergeekcos/pseuds/writergeekcos
Summary: Just after the events of Civil War, Tony Stark and the rest of his team want nothing more than a little peace and quiet. But in another world, a Holy War is raging. In Britannia, the Goddess Elizabeth and Meliodas want to destroy each other. But when they fall through a hole in dimensions and end up stranded on Earth, could that hatred turn to friendship? Maybe even something more?
Relationships: Goddess Elizabeth/Meliodas (Nanatsu no Taizai)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 120





	1. This is War

_To the right, to the left, we will fight, to the death. To the edge of the Earth, it's a brave new world from the last to the first._

\- Thirty Seconds to Mars

ELIZABETH: 

Today, Elizabeth was going to kill Meliodas. At least, that’s what she told herself. It was the only reason she’d set up this secret meeting with him, by the White Cliffs of Revod. The only reason. 

Well, perhaps there was another. She had to find out why she had not yet killed him. They had met several times now in battle. Each time she’d been so close to killing him, or he’d been close to killing her, but neither had done it. Why? It didn’t matter. Today, she would find out. 

She landed in the grass on the edge of the cliff, after a long flight from the Stigma headquarters in the Fairy King’s forest. Behind her, an enormous forest stood. Not the Fairy King’s, but intimidating, nonetheless. She often liked to fly over it, rather than walk through it. 

Now, she looked toward it, then to the oceans beyond. Where was the demon? 

Ah. A bit of white flashed from within the forest. That would be him. He emerged not a moment later, giant sword in hand, white coat pristine, black eyes glaring. He walked until he reached her. 

“Goddess,” he spat. 

“Demon,” she returned in kind. 

“I certainly hope you’re ready to meet your end.” 

“And you.” 

They stared each other down for several seconds. Silence pervaded across the cliffs. 

And then it began. 

“Ark!” she cried, holding her hands out. A white ball of light encompassed the demon. He soon burst out of it however, bearing only a few burns. 

Darkness spread over him, covering at least half his body. He stretched a hand forward, and shadows burst out of his fingers. The darkness shot towards her, and she took the brunt of the blow, if only to get closer to him. 

“Let there be light!” Light sprouted from her hands, pushing towards Meliodas. He grunted as he took the hit, but no darkness came from his back. She cursed. So his darkness was so pervasive even she couldn’t pierce it. And yet, he looked pained as he stood before her. He gritted his teeth, and blood leaked from his lips. Then he balled his hands into fists and said, 

“Hellblaze.” 

Black flames leaked from his fingertips. They shot towards her, but she managed to fly out of the way. 

From then on, the battle became an aerial one. 

Meliodas shot towards the skies, following her closely. 

“Thousand Divine Cuts!” he shouted, swinging his sword. Elizabeth cried out as slices littered her skin. Blood leaked from each one, but she didn’t let that stop her. She burst out with another ark, and this one managed to hold him for more than a few moments. 

After a bit, she landed on the cliff once again. He landed before her, wiping the blood from his mouth with a burned arm. 

She smirked. “You know they don’t call me Blood-Stained Ellie for nothing.” 

With that she extended her arms once more, and cast another, “Let there be light!” 

This time, as the light struck Meliodas head-on, he was pushed back several feet. Not only that, she could truly feel the attack working. She could feel her light pushing through his darkness, shoving it out of his body. He coughed up blood, and it stained his pristine white coat. It looked like it was all he could do to keep standing. Elizabeth grimaced, and pushed forward further. Meliodas screamed, but she barely heard it. She knew she was close. A bit further, and she’d do it. She’d kill him. 

So her confusion heightened at the sudden panic in her mind when she thought of Meliodas’s death. Instantly the light stopped and dissipated. Meliodas sank forward onto his knees, coughing. Elizabeth stood before him, panting. 

“Why won’t you do it?” he hissed after several moments. 

“I could ask the same of you.” She wiped a bleeding cut on her cheek with a hand. “You’ve had plenty of chances to finish me. And yet you haven’t. Why?” 

“Like I’d know,” he spat. “You won’t even—” 

“My Lady Elizabeth!” Someone’s voice called out. Elizabeth froze. She knew that voice. Slowly, she turned to see Nerobasta flying down towards her. And behind her…

Meliodas cursed. Fraudrin flew towards them as well. When both the demon and goddess landed, however, they surprisingly made no move toward each other. Instead, their focus remained entirely on Meliodas and Elizabeth. 

Nerobasta’s eyes widened, and she looked from Elizabeth to the demon prince across from her. Her skin paled. “My Lady?” she asked. “What is this?” 

Elizabeth found she had no answer. For what could she say that Nerobasta would believe? That she’d sought a secret meeting with a demon in order to kill him? The secret nature of the meeting would be suspicious by itself. The fact that she was alone with Meliodas was another matter. She found her cheeks flushing as she said, 

“This isn’t what it looks like!” 

“What the hell do they think this looks like?” Meliodas said to her. “We’re covered in blood.” He looked at Fraudrin and said, “She did this to me.” 

“And he to me,” Elizabeth said, looking to Nerobasta. The other goddesses’ eyes were narrowed as Elizabeth said, “Clearly you can tell we’ve been in combat.” 

“And yet you didn’t see fit to inform your mother?” Nerobasta said coolly. 

“My Prince,” Fraudrin said. “Why do you seek the company of a goddess?” He spat these last words out as if they were poison. 

“I didn’t seek her—Why won’t you just accept what happened?” Meliodas shouted. 

“Let me get rid of him for you, My Lady,” Nerobasta said. She raised her hands and a beam of light shot towards Meliodas. It hit him square in the chest. Elizabeth gasped as he collapsed, falling over the side of the cliff. 

“Nerobasta!” she cried in fury. What fury? Why was she so angry? Before she could stop herself, she was flying over the edge of the cliff, after Meliodas. 

Before she was over the edge, she felt a sharp pain in one of her wings. She gasped and turned to see dark fire burning away at her feathers. She cried out in pain as she felt a bone snap. Fraudrin must have hit her!

Soon, she was falling too. 

She held out her hand towards Meliodas, and he gazed at her as he fell. She tried to ignore the question in his eyes, only concentrating on…was she trying to save him? No, she was falling too. They would die here, together. 

But before she could do anything, light filled her vision. Blue streaks shot past her, and all fell to white. 

TONY: 

“You’re saying there’s a what in this compound?” Tony said. 

“A dimension hole,” Dr. Stephen Strange said with a completely serious face, in a completely serious tone. 

“And I’m supposed to understand that?” He raised an eyebrow. 

Dr. Strange sighed. “There’s essentially a fabric between dimensions that’s been ripped. The hole is right here.” He pointed upwards, towards the ceiling of the living room in the Avengers compound. 

“Then why can’t I see anything?” 

“Because it’s not normally visible. But if I do this…” Dr. Strange moved his hands outward, then spread his fingers. He closed his eyes, muttered something, then—

A blinding white light. Tony blinked, covering his eyes. When the light dimmed, he stared to see a circle of white in the center of the ceiling, rimmed in undulating blue streaks. 

“Oh,” he said. “So that’s a dimension hole.” 

“Yeah. Well, now that I’m done here—” 

“Wait.” Tony held up a hand. “Who said you were done?” 

“It’s your compound,” Dr. Strange said. “Not mine.” 

Tony scowled. Ever since Dr. Strange had made himself known in the past few weeks, Tony had found himself infuriated by the man. He had a cocky air about him that reminded Tony of…well, of himself. His old self. It wasn’t something he liked being reminded of. 

“What’s going on?” Natasha’s voice came from the doorway. Tony turned to see her walking toward him and Dr. Strange. “Why’s…that, on the ceiling?” she said, pointing to the dimension hole. 

Tony let Dr. Strange explain. Natasha’s face remained completely neutral as she listened. 

“Oh,” she said. “Is that all?” 

Tony frowned. “What do you mean, is that all? It’s a hole in space and time.” 

“Nothing, I was just expecting something worse. I mean, it’s not like anything’s falling through it.”

“For now,” Dr. Strange said, holding up a finger. 

“You’re saying something is gonna fall through that thing?” Tony said, raising an eyebrow. “Am I gonna have to deal with aliens again?” His fingers twitched at the thought. 

“No, not really. At least, as far as I can tell,” Dr. Strange said. “The beings in this world are fairly humanoid.” He closed his eyes and tightened them. “At least I think.” 

“Well, that’s good,” Tony said, voice thick with sarcasm. 

“It’s better than I was expecting,” Dr. Strange said honestly. “You’d be surprised at some of the creatures out in the multiverse.” 

Tony frowned and said, “Try me.” 

Before the other man could answer however, Tony turned to Natasha. “So what did you come here for?” he asked. 

“Breakfast is ready,” she said, gesturing with her thumb towards the door. 

“Breakfast?” a new voice said. Tony looked to the door on the other side of the room, where Rhodey was walking towards the forming group. “What the hell is that?” he said suddenly, pointing to the ceiling. 

“A dimension hole, apparently,” Tony said. 

“Oh. No. Nope. I’m out of here,” Rhodey replied, turning away. 

“Hey,” Tony said. “Don’t just walk away.” 

“Dimension holes? Alternate worlds? No thanks, I’m good.” 

“So you’re gonna leave me to deal with this?” Tony frowned. 

Rhodey stopped, sighed, and turned around. “Oh, fine,” he said. Making his way back to Tony, he said, “So what do we do about it?” 

“Dr. Strange here is going to close it,” Tony said, pointing to the wizard. 

“No, I’m not,” Dr. Strange said. 

Tony tilted his head. “I’m sorry?” 

“Not my problem,” he said frankly. 

“And how is it not your problem, exactly?” 

“Do you know how many dimension holes exist in the world? Just because you have one doesn’t mean it’s number one on my priority list. Not to mention all the other things I have to do. Need I remind you, other threats exist in this world besides ones you can just punch.” 

Tony just scowled. 

“Well, it looks fine,” Rhodey said, sounding unsure. 

“Yeah,” Tony had to agree. “At least nothing’s coming out of it—” 

Suddenly, the sound of rushing air filled the room. The hole in the ceiling grew brighter. Tony looked up and paled. Because two figures were falling through. 

“Oh, dammit,” he muttered. 

The figures hit the floor with a smack. 

Tony blinked. Silence hung over the room for several seconds. Tony looked down at what appeared to be a kid with a giant sword, much too big to lift, covered in blood, and…No. No way. 

“Is that a fucking angel?” he said.


	2. Hey Brother

_Hey, brother, there's an endless road to rediscover. Hey, sister, know the water's sweet but blood is thicker._ \- Avicii 

TONY: 

“Is anybody else seeing this?” he asked quietly. 

“Oh, yeah,” Natasha said. 

“Um, guys? Is anybody gonna notice that they’re wounded?” Rhodey spoke up. 

Tony looked, and shuddered. Rhodey was right. The kid had a giant red mark on his chest, and the girl (angel?) had a broken wing and cuts all over her body. She had two whole sets of wings. Holy shit. 

But for now, Tony needed to get these two to the med-bay. 

“I’ll carry the kid,” he said, hurrying over to the boy. 

“I’ve got the girl,” Natasha said. 

Before they could, however, the two newcomers woke up and shot to their feet. They looked around, brows furrowing and mouths stuck in frowns. Then they looked at each other. 

“What have you done?” the boy growled in a deeper voice than Tony had expected. 

“I have done nothing,” the girl said in an equally antagonistic tone. “It is you who has transported us.” 

The boy hefted his sword with little effort (how??), and gripped it tight in both hands. 

The girl lifted her hands, and a ball of light appeared between them. 

“I’ll finish you this time,” she said. 

“Took the words right out of my mouth,” the boy answered. 

They lunged for each other. 

“Woah, woah, woah!” Rhodey shouted. The two stopped, then turned. “I think you two are hardly in any condition to fight each other.” 

“Stay out of this, human,” the boy spat. “Or I shall kill you as well.” 

“Human?” Tony said. “What, and you’re not?” 

“I am a demon, you scum.” 

“I’m sorry, what did you just call me?” Tony balked. 

The…demon, or whatever he was, scoffed and turned toward the angel girl. He looked unsteady, his hands shaking and his knees wobbling. A bit of blood leaked from his mouth.  
The girl didn’t look too good either. The cuts all over her body bled profusely, and her broken wing looked painful. Yet still, she and the demon faced each other down. A ball of light grew between her hands, flickering in and out of existence. The demon tried to lift his sword, but it fell to the ground with a clatter. 

“I’ll…end you,” the girl said, panting. 

The boy wiped his mouth and said, “Why don’t you try?” 

Then they both fell over, unconscious. 

Silence stood in the room for about a full minute. Finally, Natasha spoke. 

“So,” she said. “That’s a thing.” 

“Yep,” Tony responded, popping the ‘p’. 

Rhodey sighed and said, “So what now?” 

“I agree with you, Rhodey,” Tony said. “We need to get these two to the med-bay. Before they wake up and start another fight. Goddammit.” 

This is not how he thought this day was going to go. 

MELIODAS: 

Meliodas woke slowly, as if rising from a pit of dark mud. His eyes eased open to reveal a white ceiling and what looked like tiny suns embedded inside lanterns. What odd lights. 

Then he remembered what had happened, and he jolted upright. 

“Woah!” someone said from his right. “Easy.” 

Meliodas turned to see two men sitting down, one dark-skinned and tall, the other pale and short. He reached for his sword on his back, only to find that it wasn’t there. 

“What have you done with my weapon?” he growled. 

“It’s over there,” the tall man said, pointing behind Meliodas. Meliodas turned to see that indeed, his sword was resting against the wall. A breath escaped him. Good, so he wasn’t weaponless. But right now, he needed to find out where he was. 

Around him, strange equipment stood. Some of it was hooked up to him, and he immediately ripped it out with a grimace. Bandages covered his chest. Who had done this? 

“Hey, hey,” the short man said. “I uh, wouldn’t do that. If I were you.” 

“Do what?” Meliodas snapped. 

“Nevermind.” The man looked down. 

“Sorry, I guess you’re just new here,” the tall man said. “I’m Colonel James Rhodes.” Colonel? So, he was a military man. “And this here is Dr. Bruce Banner. He did most of the bandaging and healing, etc.” Rhodes gestured to the short man beside him. Meliodas sneered. He already didn’t like this Banner. Such a quiet, demure person was disgusting. 

Then, something occurred to Meliodas. 

“Where is the goddess?” he said. 

“Who?” 

“I think he means the angel girl,” Banner said. 

Meliodas scoffed. “That girl is no angel. She is a filthy goddess. All of them deserve death and nothing less.” 

“Goddess? Is like, a species or something?” Rhodes asked. 

“Of course. Why don’t you know that?” Meliodas snapped. 

Rhodes sighed, like he had bad news to tell. “I hate to say it, but…you’re not in your world anymore. This is Earth. North America. New York state.” 

A shiver ran through Meliodas as he realized he didn’t recognize any of those names. 

“Impossible,” he said, voice growing louder until he was shouting. “Where has Britannia gone? What have you done with it?” 

Rhodes sat straighter. “We didn’t do anything to it. You fell through a portal by accident.” 

“Accidents do not befall me, human,” he cried. He lit a black flame in his hand. “Now tell me what you have done with Britannia, and I might let you live.” 

“We haven’t done anything,” Banner said softly. His hands clenched into fists. 

“What was that?” Meliodas growled. 

“I said we haven’t done anything!” The man stood, and the strangest thing began to happen. The edges of his face, his very skin, turned green, veins popping out of his forehead.

“What in all the realms…” Meliodas whispered. “What is this devilry?” he said to Rhodes. 

Rhodes just put a hand on Banner’s shoulder. The man seemed to calm, and the green faded from his face. 

“I’m sorry,” Banner said. “That’s just…something that happens when I get angry.” 

“Hmph. Impressive,” Meliodas conceded. 

Banner frowned. “Yeah, it’s not that fun to live with, trust me. I don’t like going on rampages.” 

“Are you kidding?” Meliodas laughed. “But it’s such fun! To lose control, not worry about what happens?” 

Rhodes and Banner leaned back, as if troubled by what he had just said. 

Meliodas grimaced. “Of course you humans wouldn’t understand. Although…are you human?” he inquired of Banner. 

“Of course I am,” the man said defensively. “Just had a…bad interaction with some gamma radiation.” 

“Gamma what?” 

“Gamma radiation,” Rhodes said. “It’s on the electromagnetic spectrum, the highest…” He sighed. “Nothing I’m saying is helping, is it?” 

Meliodas shook his head. “You and your human science. Why do you need science when magic is there?” 

“Because not all of us have magic?” Rhodes said. 

“Of course you have magic. Many humans do.” 

Rhodes seemed to be getting annoyed. “Well, not all of us choose to use it, let’s put it that way.” 

“Fine. Suit yourself.” Meliodas hopped down from the table, then frowned as he realized he stood shorter than the two men, even sitting. “I will be going home now. I have decided to spare you two. Be grateful.” He walked to the opposite wall and picked up his sword, hefting it onto his shoulder. 

“Oh, about that—” Rhodes began. 

Suddenly a flaming pain burst in Meliodas’s chest, so strong that his sword dropped from his hands. He bit his tongue to keep from crying out. 

“Your wounds haven’t healed yet. You have lot of internal bleeding too,” Banner said. 

Meliodas coughed wetly. Shit, so he wasn’t healed yet. “Isn’t that where blood is supposed to be?” 

He turned to see Banner frown, hold up a finger, then put it back down. “Oh, whatever,” the man said. “All you need to know is, you’re stuck here until that wound heals. That portal isn’t going to be good for your wounds.” 

Meliodas scoffed. “You think that I would be killed by a portal?” 

“No, we’re saying it would be dangerous for you.” Rhodes put a hand to his forehead. “I’m not about to let a kid die, no matter how weird you are.” 

Meliodas’s eyebrows shot up. “I assure you, I am no child.” 

“What, so you’re just short?” 

He frowned. “Something like that,” he growled. 

“Oh…okay.” Rhodes said, making his way with Banner to the door. “Well, can you come with us? We figure all of us might be able to explain your situation better than just two of us.”

Meliodas sneered. “You expect me to come with you?” 

“Do you want to know how to get home or not?” 

He grimaced. “Fine,” he said. “But if any of you makes one wrong move, I will kill you where you stand.” 

ELIZABETH: 

Elizabeth woke with a start, like someone had slapped her. She sat up with a gasp, quickly realizing she didn’t recognize her surroundings. She was in a white room, with strange equipment surrounding her, some of which was hooked up to her. She didn’t dare remove it, though. What if it was important? 

“So you’re awake,” someone said to her right. 

Startled, Elizabeth jumped, and turned. Two people, one man and one woman, stood before her. The man was short, pale, and had dark hair, while the woman was tall with snow-white skin and flaming red hair that fell around her shoulders. 

“Who are you?” Elizabeth snapped. “Where am I?” 

The man’s eyebrows raised. “Don’t waste any time, do you?” he said. “You’re on Earth. In New York state.” 

“Where?” she said. “I don’t understand.” 

“You fell through a portal,” the woman clarified. “And now you’re here.” 

Well, that certainly wasn’t confusing. Elizabeth frowned. “Then…tell me who you are.” 

The man nodded. “That, I can do. I’m Tony Stark, and this is Natasha Romanoff.” He gestured to the woman. “We’re two of the Avengers. Well…what was the Avengers.” 

The woman…Natasha, put a hand on Tony’s shoulder. “We’re sorry you ended up here,” she said. “But we’re going to try to get you home.”

Elizabeth nodded, shaking. Yes, home. She needed to get back from wherever she was. Oh gods, if her mother found out she was gone…She shivered, putting her hands on her arms. 

“You all right?” Tony asked. 

“Y-yes,” she said with a nod. “I’m just…I need to go home. Quickly. If my mother finds out I’m gone…” She trailed off. 

“Oh,” Tony said, suddenly serious. “I see.” 

Elizabeth began to move her wings, but a screaming pain bloomed in one of them. She cried out. 

“That reminds me. You broke one of your wings when you fell through the portal. I’m sorry,” Natasha said. 

“It’s all right,” Elizabeth replied, voice strained. “It was broken before I fell through this portal.” 

The woman frowned. “May I ask how you broke it?” 

Elizabeth shrugged. “It was an altercation with a demon. It happens.” 

“You fight demons often?” Tony asked. 

“Well of course,” Elizabeth said. “There’s a war, after all.” 

Both of the human’s eyes widened. “War?” Tony said. “What war?” 

Elizabeth took a shuddering breath. “You don’t know about the Holy War?” 

“No?” 

She closed her eyes. “Then I am further from home than I thought.” She clenched her fists, opening her eyes once more. This was bad. If these humans didn’t even know of the Holy War, then how far from Britannia was she? 

“You’ll get home,” Natasha said. Elizabeth knew she was trying to be reassuring, but the words only made Elizabeth more nervous. When she’d fallen through…the portal, or whatever it was, she’d been seen with Meliodas. Alone. What if rumors spread? That rumor alone could hurt the goddesses more than twenty lost battles. If anyone thought she had a relationship with a demon…

But they’d been fighting. Covered in blood. Surely, no one would…? 

“Anyway, can you come with us? If that’s all right,” Tony said. “We need to debrief you and your demon friend on your situation.” 

That sparked something in her. “He is not my friend,” she snapped. “I will kill him.” 

“Okaaaay, then.” Tony raised his eyebrows. “Let’s get going, shall we?” 

He and Natasha headed for the door, holding it open for her. She smiled gratefully as she walked through into a long hallway. Whatever her situation was, she would face it with all the grace and might of a goddess.


	3. Welcome to Mystery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a day late aaaah!

_“This is a place where your mind can escape all the problems today and go far, far away. This is a time with no history, welcome to mystery.”_ \- Plain White T's 

TONY: 

Tony frowned as he sat across from Meliodas and Elizabeth in the living room of the compound. He, Natasha, Rhodey, and Bruce were all placed in chairs facing the couch where the pair were. He rolled his eyes. The two sat on opposite sides of the couch, glaring at each other and crossing their arms. 

“So,” Tony finally said, once the silence became unbearable. “Want to explain who you two are?” 

Meliodas gave him a glare that Tony met. 

Elizabeth finally spoke up. “It’s simple,” she said, as if it really were that easy. “I’m a goddess. He’s a lowly demon.” 

“What did you just say?” Meliodas snapped to her. 

“Only the truth,” she bit back. 

“Okay, okay.” Tony held up his hands. “Can you two calm down for one second? Jesus. I just asked a question. I just want to know where you’re from.” 

“Tell us where we are first,” Meliodas retorted. 

Tony and Rhodey shared a look. Finally it was Natasha who spoke up. 

“You’re on Earth,” she said. “North America. The United States. New York State. You’re far from the city, though. This is pretty far upstate.” 

“That’s supposed to be helpful?” Meliodas sneered. 

“It’s the truth. I don’t care if you still don’t understand,” Natasha said in a cold voice. “Now where are you two from?” 

“Britannia,” Elizabeth said. 

“What, like Britain?” Bruce asked. 

“No.” Elizabeth frowned. “Quite different, I’m sure.” 

Bruce shrugged. “Well, it was worth a try.” 

Tony tried a different tactic. “Earlier, you mentioned a war. There’s no Holy War here. What were you talking about?” 

Both Elizabeth and Meliodas looked at him as if he’d grown a second head. 

“What, you’ve never heard of the Holy War?” Meliodas barked a laugh. “You must be truly stupid.”

“You’re in a different dimension. Of course there’s no Holy War here.” 

Meliodas’s eyes widened. His cruel smile dropped. “Different dimension?” he said quietly. Suddenly his eyes flared, and he turned on Elizabeth. “What have you done?” 

“I didn’t do anything!” she cried. “I don’t think either of us have. We got here by accident. Oh gods…” She wrung her hands, her skin paling. 

Meliodas scoffed. “Well then how did we get here?” 

“You fell through a dimension hole,” a new voice said. Tony turned to see Dr. Strange entering the room through a portal. Tony rolled his eyes. Why did the man have to be so dramatic? 

However, he noticed with interest that Meliodas and Elizabeth didn’t even bat an eye at the use of magic. Their world must have been full of the stuff, then. 

“And who is this?” Meliodas asked with venom in his voice. 

“Dr. Stephen Strange,” Dr. Strange said, gesturing at himself. “You’re the new arrivals, I take it.” 

“If you mean we’re the ones who fell into your…reality, then yes,” Elizabeth said. “I’d…we’d, like to go home.” 

“Don’t lump me in with you,” Meliodas snapped. 

Elizabeth glared at him. “We’re in the same situation, whether you like it or not.” 

Meliodas scoffed and turned away. “Filthy goddess,” he muttered. 

Elizabeth looked about to say something, but Dr. Strange spoke up. “Just wanted to check on you, then,” he said. “I’ll be leaving now.” 

“Wait,” Tony said. “You’re not going to help them get home?” 

“No. Why should I? They’re your problem, not mine.” 

Meliodas and Elizabeth shot to their feet. 

“You can’t just leave us here!” Meliodas cried. “I have a war to get back to. I have to fight!” 

“My mother will kill me if she finds out I’m gone for too long,” Elizabeth said, eyes wide and hands shaking. “Please, you have to help at least me get home.” 

Meliodas turned on her, still speaking to Dr. Strange. “You can help me get home, but feel free to leave her here.” 

Elizabeth looked at him with disgust. “I was just about to say the same of you.” 

They looked at each other with revulsion until Bruce coughed. 

“So…” he said. “What, then?” 

“They can adjust to life here,” Dr. Strange said. “I’ve got other things to do.” With that, he turned and walked right back through the portal, closing it. 

Everyone in the room sat in stunned silence for several moments. Well, it wasn’t like Tony knew what to say. Meliodas and Elizabeth were trapped here now. The white hole in the ceiling that they’d fallen through was gone. They were stuck. 

Finally, Natasha spoke. 

“I’ve been hearing about this war, and I don’t know a thing about it. Tell us more.” 

Elizabeth bit her lip and nodded. “Yes, I suppose.” She looked to Meliodas. He shook his head and looked away. Elizabeth looked to the group and said, “Two thousand years ago, the goddesses and demons began the war. Again. No one knows when the first war started. Maybe at the beginning of the world. But the current Holy War has been raging for two—” 

“Two thousand years?” Tony balked. “You’ve been fighting for that long?” 

Elizabeth continued on. “The demons and the goddesses fight. That’s what we do. My orders are to kill demons on sight. I’ve been in many battles, just this decade. The giants, fairies, and many humans have joined us, though it wasn’t always this way. The other races only joined the cause about five hundred years ago. Before then, it was each race for itself against the demons. But finally, the Supreme Deity declared that the races should join together to defeat the demon hordes.” Her eyes shone as she spoke of this ‘Supreme Deity’. She must really look up to the woman. 

“And Meliodas is a demon,” she spat. “We will exterminate them soon enough.” 

Meliodas grimaced. “Yes, I’m sure you think that, ‘Blood-Stained Ellie’.” 

Tony frowned. He looked to Elizabeth. She smirked and said, 

“The demons have a nickname for me. I’ve killed so many of them, they call me ‘Blood-Stained Ellie’.” She said this with pride in her voice. 

Tony had been reeling inside as she spoke. A war raging for that long? It must have been going on for Meliodas and Elizabeth’s entire lives. And they fought in it. How old were they, eighteen? And they fought because…because they had to, he supposed. But really, why? So he asked. 

“Why?” Meliodas repeated. “Because it is what we do.” 

“Yeah, but why?” Tony said. “Is there a reason? What started the war in the first place?” 

Elizabeth held up a finger and opened her mouth. After a moment she closed it and put down her hand. “We do it because it is right,” she finally said. “Do we need another reason?” 

“Yeah, I get that. You follow orders, whatever. But what’s the point of it all?’ 

Elizabeth and Meliodas once again looked at him as if he’d just spoken in gibberish. 

“But…why would we question it?” she asked. “Why would we question gods?” 

Tony scoffed. “Trust me, gods aren’t all that great. I’ve met a few.” 

Elizabeth’s eyes widened. “Then clearly, you haven’t met the Supreme Deity.” 

“Or the Demon King,” Meliodas added. 

“And why are you soldiers?” Rhodey asked. “Aren’t you a little…young?” 

“I’m over two centuries old,” Meliodas and Elizabeth said at the same time. They glared at each other. 

Tony’s eyebrows shot to the roof, and he met Rhodey’s gaze. Clearly, nothing was off the table with these weird kids. Well, not kids, apparently. 

“How long do demons and goddesses normally live then, if I can ask?” Tony tried. 

“Thousands of years,” Elizabeth said. “For goddesses.” 

“Same for demons,” Meliodas muttered. 

“But you can be killed, can’t you?” Natasha asked. 

“Of course,” Elizabeth said. “All goddesses can die by a blade, or illness, or even age. I’ve killed plenty of demons, so I assume they can die as well.” 

Meliodas begrudgingly nodded, not looking at Elizabeth. 

“So you two do have something in common, after all,” Tony said. 

“WE DO NOT,” they cried at the same time. Tony jumped at their tone. 

“I’m leagues better than this goddess,” Meliodas yelled, at the same time Elizabeth shouted, 

“Don’t you know I’m above him?” 

Tony raised his eyebrows once again and looked at the pair. “Well, okay, then,” he said. This was getting nowhere. He stood from the chair and gestured to the others. “Guys, a moment?” He walked toward the kitchen, and when he was there, he waited at the counter for the others to arrive. As soon as they were in the room, he put his head in his hands and let out a muffled scream. 

“Believe me, I feel that,” Rhodey said. 

“They can’t go a goddamn second without threatening to kill one another,” Tony complained. 

“I mean, I know anger happens in a war, but that?” Natasha pointed back down the hall. “That’s blind hatred. They don’t have a reason to hate each other.” 

“Hell, they don’t even know why they’re fighting,” Tony said. “This Holy War sounds pretty pointless to me.” 

Bruce sighed and said, “Good luck telling them that. It sounds like their entire lives revolve around it.” 

God, that must be awful. To have your entire life revolve around a bloody conflict? A conflict you don’t even know the purpose of? He shuddered. At least when he fought, he had a damn reason. These two did it because they were told to, and for no other purpose. 

“Must be awful,” he muttered. 

Natasha nodded. “Well, they’re stuck here now.” 

“No they’re not.” 

“What?” she said. 

“We’re getting them home.” 

“How?” Rhodey asked. “You heard what Strange said. Besides, are you sure you want to send them back into a warzone?” 

Tony shook his head. “No. They’re going back, after we convince them this war is pointless. Then maybe they can convince the other demons and goddesses or whatever. Then maybe they can stop the war.” 

Natasha frowned. “You really want to get involved in another dimension’s war?” 

“They don’t deserve to fight forever. I mean, you guys can see that, right?” 

Slowly, the others nodded. 

“But how are you going to convince Strange?” Bruce asked. 

“I’ll figure that out later. For now, we need to change the kids’ minds about this war. And each other.” 

Natasha smirked. “I think I can handle at least part of that.”


	4. Until the Wolves Come Out

_“Think I broke down with both of my hands, castles built up from watered down sands, sing oh, whoa, whoa, I gotta sing it out loud till my lungs give out.”_

\- NateWantsToBattle

MELIODAS: 

Meliodas sat on the…couch, they’d called it, for several minutes in stewing silence. He crossed his arms and tapped his foot on the floor. His insides were a boiling mass of rage. This kind of thing wasn’t supposed to happen to a demon. Least of all the prince. How was he supposed to win the war when he was stuck here with a goddess?

“I suppose we’re stuck here then,” The goddess said with as much anger as he was feeling. 

“Whatever,” he said. “I’ll find a way home. Then I’ll win the war, and you’ll be stuck here wishing you could have stopped me.” 

She looked at him with venom. “No, I will find a way home. And you will be stuck here. And—” She cut off, sighing. 

“What?” he snapped. 

“I suppose there’s no point, now.” 

“A point to what?” 

“Me killing you. We’re stuck here.” Her voice broke. “And I’m never going to see my mother again, and—” 

“Stop that,” he said. 

“What?”  
“Stop…crying,” he said. “I don’t like it.” 

Her brow furrowed. “Wh—why would you care?” 

“I don’t care,” he growled. “It just makes you look weak, is all.” He looked away. For some reason, he couldn’t stand to look at her crying face. 

“Oh,” she said coolly. “I see.” She straightened and crossed her arms. “I suppose I was wrong to think a demon would ever care about a goddess.” 

“Why would think that?” he asked, appalled. 

“I didn’t. Wh-whatever.” She turned away. He could swear her cheeks were red. Maybe she had a fever. 

After a moment, Meliodas leaned back and stared at the ceiling. 

“What is the world coming to?” he asked no-one. “A demon and a goddess actually having a somewhat civil conversation.” 

Beside him, Elizabeth let out a chuckle. He looked up at her and frowned. She met his gaze and her eyes widened, and she looked down. 

“What?” he asked. 

“Nothing.” 

“What?” he said again, louder this time. 

“I…what you said was funny, is all. I can’t believe I’m actually talking to you. This shouldn’t be happening.” 

He jolted as he realized she was right. This absolutely should not be happening. He shouldn’t be just…talking to her. He should be killing her, driving his sword through her chest. Instead, what was he doing? Chatting it up in an alternate dimension with her? What was he even doing? 

“Well, I suppose we can have conversations now, now that we’re stuck here,” Elizabeth said. 

“No,” he said simply. 

“Hm?” 

“We’re not having conversations. We’re never speaking again.” He stood and glared at her. “I wouldn’t ever stoop so low as to even think about being anything close to friends with you.” 

“Who said anything about friends?” she said, frowning. 

“Whatever,” he said, turning and storming from the room. 

ELIZABETH: 

Elizabeth spent much of the day wandering through what the humans called a ‘compound’. She found various rooms of differing purposes: several sleeping rooms, several large powder rooms, and a few rooms reserved for training. 

As she walked into one of the training rooms, she frowned. A giant weight stood by a wall front of her, looming taller than she was. Surely a human couldn’t lift that? 

Footsteps echoed behind her, and she turned to see the woman…Natasha. 

“Hello,” Elizabeth said with a smile. 

“Hello, yourself,” Natasha said, walking past her. She walked up to one of the much smaller weights and began lifting it. “Can I help you?” 

“You can’t lift that, can you?” she said, pointing to the large weight. “It’s impossible.” 

“Oh, that’s not for me. That’s for the big guy. Hulk, we call him.” 

“Hulk?” she said, tilting her head. 

“You probably don’t know, do you?” Natasha set the weight down. “Bruce Banner? The little guy with the glasses? He can transform into a giant green monster. It’s really something to see, as long as you’re not on his bad side.” Her eyes darkened. “You really don’t want to get close then.” 

“So that is his magic?” 

“No, not magic. Science,” Natasha clarified. “He got turned into the Hulk by too much gamma radiation. It’s…a lot to explain to someone who doesn’t know the electromagnetic spectrum.” 

Elizabeth just stood there, dumbly. 

Natasha shook her head. “It’s fine. Don’t worry if you don’t understand everything. This isn’t your world, after all.” She resumed picking up the weight. 

Elizabeth watched for a few moments, enjoying the view, before she realized she should probably be going. Natasha might not want her around. 

But…there was one question she had. 

“I’m sorry to bother you,” Elizabeth said, turning around. “But I did have something I wanted to ask.” 

Natasha looked at her. “Shoot,” she said. 

Taking that as a cue to ask her question, Elizabeth said, “It’s the demon. Meliodas.” His name was unfamiliar to her tongue, but strangely, not bitter like she’d expected. In fact, it was…warm. “I don’t know what to do. I should kill him. I know that. But now I’m in another reality, and home is so far, and I just don’t know what I should do. Is there even a point to killing him anymore?” 

Natasha set down the weight. “If you don’t think there’s a point, then there’s no point.” 

“But it isn’t that simple. I should be able to kill him.” 

The other woman frowned. “What do you mean, should?” 

Elizabeth sighed. This was its own story. “I…have been close to killing Meliodas many times. In fact, just before we came to this world, I had him. I was so close,” she said, grinding her teeth. “And then…I stopped.” 

“Why?” 

“That’s the thing, I don’t know!” she said, panic bubbling in her chest. “Every time I get close to killing him, I stop. And it isn’t like that with other demons. It’s just with this one. Every time I get close to ending him, I lose my nerve. I don’t understand why.” Her shoulders drooped. 

Natasha’s eyes warmed. “Well, that’s simple enough. You don’t want him to die.” 

Elizabeth froze. “B—but that makes no sense,” she said. “He’s a demon. I should want him to die.” 

“Things aren’t always that simple,” Natasha said with a sigh. 

“Well they should be. He’s a demon. I will kill him, eventually. Somehow.” Elizabeth turned and began walking out the door. “It’s what I was born to do,” she muttered. 

TONY: 

Later that night, Tony once again stood in the kitchen with the remaining Avengers. He breathed out a sigh through his nose. 

“So, how’d it go?” he asked Natasha as she sipped a coffee. 

“Not too well,” she replied. “She’s still intent on killing him, apparently.” 

“Great.” Tony groaned. 

“Well, you couldn’t think it would be so easy,” she said. “They’ve been raised on this war their whole lives. We’re not going to be able to change their minds in a day.” 

“Well, what now, then?” Bruce said. “You tried Elizabeth. Should someone try Meliodas?” 

Rhodey let out a long breath. “I suppose I can do that.” 

“Oh, you’re volunteering? To deal with that violent mess?” Tony smirked. 

Rhodey rolled his eyes. “Someone has to. He may be the most unbearable asshole, but there’s got to be goodness in him somewhere. At least, I think.” 

“That’s the spirit.” Tony slapped a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Just let us know if you make any progress. At all.” 

“Yeah, well, I might need some tactics.” 

“Maybe I can help with that,” Bruce said. 

“Oh?” Rhodey asked. 

“Well, maybe ask him about the goddess girl. Elizabeth. He clearly could’ve killed her by now, but he hasn’t. Why not?” 

Natasha hummed. “Elizabeth said something similar. She said she’s had plenty of opportunities to kill him, but has never actually gone through with it. There’s got to be a story there.” 

Tony nodded. “You might be right, Nat. They could’ve killed each other by now. But they’re both in their rooms instead, moping. Gotta wonder why.” 

“So who wants to approach Elizabeth, then?” Bruce asked. 

Everyone raised their hands. 

Tony laughed. Elizabeth was much easier to deal with than Meliodas. At least she seemed somewhat nice. 

“I’ll let you take care of Elizabeth, Tony,” Natasha said, gesturing to him. “I already tried. And Rhodey, want to talk to Meliodas?” 

Rhodey groaned. “Guess I have to. God, this is gonna be interesting.” 

Tony smirked. “Good luck.” He clapped his hands together. “Guess that settles that. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”


	5. Kids In The Dark

_“They left us alone, the kids in the dark, to burn out forever, or light up a spark.”_  
\- All Time Low 

MELIODAS: 

Meliodas had made his way to the roof, and now lay under the stars, laying on his back and staring up at the sky. He ground his teeth together. This was by far the most frustrating and bizarre situation he’d ever been in. How could he have gotten himself trapped in another world entirely? Clearly, this was all that goddess’s fault. If she hadn’t asked to meet him in private, then they would have never been on that cliff, and they never would have fallen into this other world. 

…No. Deep down, he knew this was his own damn fault, and that was the worst part. He was the Demon King’s son. Mistakes weren’t allowed for him. He was expected to be perfect, nothing less. And here he’d made the biggest mistake of his life, getting trapped in another reality with a goddess. And not just any goddess. Blood-Stained Ellie herself. 

He groaned and rubbed a gloved hand over his face. 

“How are you going to fix this, Meliodas?” he muttered to himself. 

“Don’t worry, we’ll get you home,” a voice said behind him. Meliodas sat up and looked behind him to see Rhodes walking up to him, coming out of a door to the roof. 

Meliodas scowled. “What do you want, human?” 

“That’s what I thought you’d say,” Rhodes said with a sigh. “Look, can we talk? For just a minute, I swear. Then I won’t bother you.” 

Meliodas almost said no. But then, so many bizarre things had happened today, he figured, what the hell? 

“Fine,” he said. Rhodes walked up to him and sat down. “State your business and leave,” he snapped. 

Rhodes let out a breath. “It’s about the goddess girl. Elizabeth.” 

Meliodas stiffened. “What about her?” 

“Why do you hate her so much?” 

“She’s a goddess,” he said. “Do I need any other reason? She’s slaughtered my comrades.” 

Rhodes nodded. “Yeah. But why do the demons and goddesses hate each other? That’s what I don’t get.” 

“B-because, they’re goddesses,” Meliodas stammered. “We just hate them. That’s what we do.” 

“So let me get this straight. You’ve been fighting a war for who knows how long, and you don’t even know why?” 

Meliodas opened his mouth, then closed it. His stomach roiled with anger, but at what? At himself? At Rhodes? At the world? 

“Whatever,” he said, looking away. “I fight in the war, that’s all I need to know.” 

When Meliodas looked back at Rhodes, the man had crossed his legs and was running a hand over his chin. “So the demons and goddesses want to destroy each other.” 

“Yes.” 

“But what about you?” 

Meliodas froze. “What about me?” he asked slowly. 

“What do _you_ want?” 

He frowned. “What do you mean, what do I want? I’m a soldier. I’m not allowed to want anything.” 

Rhodes scoffed. “Oh, please. Everyone’s allowed to want something. So what do you want?” 

“Nothing,” Meliodas said defensively, leaning away. “Why?” 

“Because, I’m interested,” Rhodes said emphatically. “Everyone wants something from life. What about you?” 

“I-I don’t know, I don’t know!” Meliodas shouted. “Stop asking me!” 

“Not until you give me an answer.” 

“I want to know why I can’t kill that goddess,” he cried. 

After he said it, silence hung in the air. 

“Huh,” Rhodes said after awhile. “Not what I was expecting. So…you can’t kill her? What do you mean?” 

Meliodas took a strained breath. “Every time I get close to killing her, I just stop. I panic. I don’t know, okay?” He crossed his arms. “Someday I’ll kill her. That’s all that matters.” 

Rhodes shrugged. “I dunno, though. Sounds like you don’t want her to die.” 

Meliodas balked. “What? That’s ridiculous I don’t—of course I want her to die, she’s a goddess. I…” He trailed off. Something in his heart said he was lying. But that was ridiculous. Why would he want that goddess to live? She was his enemy. 

But he couldn’t deny the truth in his heart. 

“Why, then?” he asked no-one. “What’s so special about her?” 

“Well, how do you feel about her?” 

“I hate her, obviously.” The answer came quickly. He reassured himself with that. Of course he hated her. Even if he didn’t want her to die, he could still hate her, couldn’t he? Yes. He took a breath. 

“I don’t know about that,” Rhodes said. 

“Well, I should,” Meliodas said. “All demons hate goddesses. Anything else is treason.” 

Rhodes was quiet for a moment after that. Meliodas almost thought he would go away before he said, 

“Well, maybe being a traitor isn’t so bad, then. Personally, I think the world would be better off without war. Any world.” 

Meliodas was about to shout an angry reply when Rhodes got up and left. He sat alone and scoffed. That man was weak. All the humans were. Puny little creatures with puny little lives. 

Then why did Rhodes’ words stick in his head? 

What did he want? He honestly didn’t know. He’d never wanted anything for himself, ever in his life. All he knew how to do was follow orders. And that was okay, right? 

Wasn’t it?

With a shaking breath, he pulled his knees into his chest and bowed his head. What was this world doing to him? 

ELIZABETH: 

Elizabeth stood in front of the device in the kitchen they had called a ‘waffle maker’, whatever a waffle was. She frowned at it, hands on her hips. 

“What are you?” she muttered. 

“Can I help you?” a voice asked behind her. She jumped and turned. Tony stood before her, a quizzical expression on his face. 

“Uh, yes,” she said finally, after a beat of awkward silence. “What is this?” she pointed at the ‘waffle maker’. 

“Oh, that? It’s a waffle maker. Didn’t Bruce say that? Oh, wait.” He shook his head and sighed. “Didn’t explain it, did he? Well, basically it…takes batter and cooks it really fast. I think that’s a good way to explain it.” 

“Interesting…” 

“Anyway, I had a question for you.” 

She straightened. “Yes? What is it?” 

“Why do you hate Meliodas so much, but can’t seem to kill him?” 

She stiffened. “Wh-what? Why would you ask that?” 

“I was wondering.” 

“I don’t know.” She crossed her arms. “I just do. Do I need a reason?” 

“And yet you haven’t killed him.” 

“Why the sudden question?” she asked, hunching her shoulders. 

“Because I think it’s important.” 

“So I haven’t killed him yet. Who cares? I’ll do it eventually.” 

Tony frowned. “Isn’t that what you told Natasha?” 

“And if it is, so what?” 

“So, I want a real answer.” 

“That’s all I’ve got,” she said quickly. 

“Something tells me there’s more.” Tony crossed his arms. “It’s okay, you know. You can tell me.” 

“I don’t want to.” 

“Why not?” 

“B-because, I shouldn’t.” She bit her lip as soon as she said the words. She should stay silent from now on. Who knew what her mother would do if she knew what went on inside Elizabeth’s head? 

Tony took a step closer, and put a hand on Elizabeth’s shoulder. She stepped back reflexively, and winced as her broken wing slammed against the counter. 

“Woah, you okay?” Tony asked. 

“Yes,” she said through gritted teeth. “I’m not going to answer your question, you know.” 

“Why not?” he said carefully. “There’s no one else here now.” 

“But if my mother knew—” A shiver ran through her. 

“Hey. Look at me.” She did. “Your mother’s not here right now. She can’t get to you. You can tell me.” He said this with all the understanding of someone who also had a strict parent. Her eyes widened. She looked down, then muttered, 

“Because I can’t get Meliodas out of my head.” 

“What?” 

“I can’t stop thinking about him,” she said, biting down on every word. “And I don’t know why. He’s just a demon. I shouldn’t be so obsessed with him. But I am. His face, his name, just rotates around in my head over and over until I get dizzy. And I don’t know what to do about it.” She covered her face with her hands. 

“Sounds like maybe you two should talk,” Tony said. 

“What? Why?” she asked, looking up at him. 

“You can’t kill each other. You can’t stop thinking about him. Maybe you should stop trying to kill him and spend some more time getting to know him.” 

She scoffed. “Get to know a demon? Ridiculous.” 

“Is it?” He shook his head. “Look. Just…give it a try. Maybe you two might have more in common than you think.” He stepped back. “I’ve got to get going. But try it, okay? Trust me.” 

She pursed her lips. “Fine.” 

He smiled. “Good.” With that, he walked away, leaving Elizabeth alone in the kitchen with her thoughts. 

This wasn’t good. She’d been in this world too long. Already it had been almost a day. She bit her nails and looked up. What would her mother say when she got back? The Supreme Deity was a gracious being, but when you got on her bad side, you were lucky if you were killed. Elizabeth had never dared to cross that line before. She told herself she never would. But right now, she was toeing the line. And that terrified her. 

These humans were making her question everything she had ever known. She hated that. What right did that have to question the war? They didn’t even know anything about it.   
A little voice inside her whispered that they might just have a fresh perspective on it. Elizabeth gritted her teeth and struck down the voice. No. She would not question the war she’d spent her entire life fighting in. That strayed too close to treason. Who cared if she didn’t know exactly why she was fighting? She didn’t need a damn reason. All she needed to know was that Meliodas was evil, and that she would kill him, one way or another. 

Meliodas. She bowed her head. That damn boy. Why did he have to be inside her head? He was just a demon. And yet, here she was, thinking about him once again. 

She remembered the day she’d first met him. He’d been retreating from a battle, a rare occurrence for him, when she’d caught him. She’d beaten him quickly, but she’d stopped when she was close to ending his life. She remembered the moment perfectly. She’d held a spear of light above his chest, ready to stab his hearts out. And then he’d looked at her. Just opened his eyes and looked at her. Something in his gaze made her stop. She’d flown away not a second later. Every meeting with him since then had gone similarly, though sometimes it was Meliodas who almost killed her. Why hadn’t they managed to kill each other? Something in her said that it was because of that first meeting. But why? 

She huffed and stepped away from the counter. This was getting her nowhere. She winced again as she touched her wing gingerly. It was still healing, albeit slowly. Maybe she should visit those men, Rhodes and Bruce. That might help. Then maybe she could get her mind off that damn Meliodas.


	6. Reflections

_“Destiny is overrated, so I think I’ll write my own.”_   
\- We Are the In Crowd

MELIODAS: 

Meliodas paced alone in the room the humans had given him. It was a simple space, with only a bed, a table, and a lamp. There was a door to a bathroom adjacent to him, and across from his was a large window overlooking a large green space, with a forest beyond. The sight made him homesick for the sprawling forests of Britannia. 

But right now, he was fuming. It was morning already, and he hadn’t slept at all. He just kept thinking about Rhodes’ words. Rhodes had asked him what he wanted from life. Well, he didn’t know. That was fine. It was fine. Then why couldn’t he get the words out of his head? 

He growled and threw a fist against the wall. This was maddening. And the worst part was that no one understood. Even if he wanted to talk to someone, and he didn’t, who would understand? None of the humans, that was for sure. Rhodes would just ask him what he wanted again. The other humans seemed too incompetent. 

Then a thought struck him. 

There was one being in all this world who would understand him. But he would never in a million years go and talk to her. 

And yet…they were in the same situation. He and the goddess had gotten stuck in this world together. She was the only one who might understand. 

No, he shouted at himself. He would never go talk to her. She was a goddess, for hell’s sake. Demons didn’t go around talking to goddesses because they wanted to. Especially not the prince of all demons. 

“You good?” 

Meliodas jumped at the voice. He turned to see the man who called himself Tony standing in the doorway. Meliodas sneered. 

“What do you want?” he snapped. 

“Nothing, nothing.” Tony held up his hands. “Just wondering how you were doing. Rhodey said he’d made some progress, I was just checking to see if that was true.” 

“Progress?” Meliodas scoffed. “What the hell does that mean?” 

“Nothing. I was just coming to tell you that maybe you should talk to Elizabeth.” 

Meliodas gritted his teeth and said, “No. Why should I?” 

Tony sighed. “Look. The team and I have been talking. We think that you and Elizabeth have more in common than you think.” 

“What?” Meliodas hissed, taken aback.

“We just think you two should talk. I mean, what harm can that do? You’re stuck in this world together. You’ve both got to get home, and don’t worry, I’m working on that. But you can’t hate each other forever.” Before Meliodas could snap a reply, Tony held up a hand. “And yeah, I get that you two are on opposite sides of a war, but wars don’t last forever. You’re allowed to do what you want, you know. And I think you two should talk.” 

Meliodas scoffed. “And what would a human know of this? You’ve never been at war.” 

Tony’s eyes darkened. “Kid, you don’t want to know what I’ve done.” 

“I’m not a child. Go away!” 

Tony scowled. “Fine. But talk to Elizabeth, seriously. She’s in the med-bay.” He walked away before Meliodas could reply. 

Meliodas let out a long breath. Damn that man. Damn all the humans. Getting under his skin like this. Meliodas wouldn’t talk to Elizabeth, not in a million years. She was a goddess; his enemy. What would his father say if he knew what he was thinking about? Meliodas shivered. The Demon King would kill him, if he were lucky. Treason was not tolerated, in any form. 

Meliodas closed his eyes. He would stay in this room, and not go anywhere near the goddess. 

And yet, something tugged at him. Something that told him he would find comfort in her. Which was ridiculous, of course. But Tony did have a point, much as Meliodas hated to admit it. He and the goddess were stuck in the same world together. They had to get home. 

A memory came to Meliodas. The day he first met the goddess. A battle had gone wrong, and he’d been forced to retreat. It was one of the worst battles he’d ever seen, in the early days of the alliance between the other races. The demons had been unprepared for the sheer numbers of the other side. So he’d retreated, much to his shame, but under Cusack’s orders. Somehow he’d gotten separated in the forest. He’d gone to the edge of a cliff, and was just about to take off, when she’d surprised him. The goddess, Blood-Stained Ellie herself. She’d nearly killed him that day. 

And then, when she’d been about to, he’d opened his eyes. Just to give her a last look of hatred. But she’d stopped. The spear of light had dissipated, and she’d fled. 

Meliodas shook his head now at the memory. The goddess was weak for not killing him when she’d had the chance. He shouldn’t go talk to her now. He shouldn’t…

“Damn it all,” he muttered, and stomped out the door towards the med-bay. 

TONY: 

Tony stood across from Rhodey in the med-bay, watching as he carefully unwrapped the bandages on Elizabeth’s wing. It was certainly looking better than it was, but it was still an ugly purple-green color at the break. No one here really knew how to treat a goddess’s wing, so they were doing the best they could. 

“How does it feel?” Rhodey asked as he grabbed some new bandages. 

“Better,” Elizabeth said, moving it gently. “Still, it might take a few more days to heal.” 

“I was thinking more like weeks,” Tony said. “Didn’t you break it?” 

“Well, yes. But goddesses heal quickly. So I wouldn’t worry about it too much. It will heal soon.” 

Tony nodded. “Huh. Okay, then.” 

Rhodey finished rewrapping her wing, then stepped back. “Okay, you should be good.” 

“Thank you,” she said with a grateful smile. 

Suddenly, the door to the med-bay slammed open. Tony blinked in surprise to see Meliodas standing there, arms crossed and black eyes glaring. 

Well, okay, he shouldn’t be too surprised. He had asked Meliodas to come down here. But he didn’t know if he’d really show up. 

“Leave,” Meliodas told him and Rhodey. “I must speak with the goddess.” 

“Me? Why?” Elizabeth asked. She seemed supremely confused. 

“Just go,” Meliodas said. 

“Fine, fine,” Tony replied, tapping Rhodey’s shoulder. He and his friend exited the room, closing the door behind them, leaving it open barely a crack. 

Tony held up a finger to his lips at Rhodey’s questioning expression. 

“What do you want?” Elizabeth asked behind the closed door. Rhodey’s eyes widened in understanding, and he nodded. The two men stayed still and listened. 

“We’re stuck in this world together,” Meliodas said slowly. 

“Yes,” Elizabeth agreed. “So what?” She sounded unsure. 

“So…” Meliodas took a shuddering breath. He sounded torn. “Will you call a truce with me?” 

Rhodey’s eyes widened and he looked at Tony. 

“What the hell?” he mouthed. “What did you do?” 

Tony just shrugged and smiled. 

ELIZABETH: 

“Will you call a truce with me?” Meliodas said, sounding pained. 

Elizabeth blinked. Had she heard him right? Meliodas, the prince of the demons, wanted a truce? 

“Wh-what?” she asked. 

He glared at her. “You heard what I said. So, do you accept or not?” 

“I don’t know,” she said quickly. “Why do you suddenly not want to fight?” 

“I never said that,” he snapped. “Rest assured goddess, I will kill you one day. But until we get home…” he trailed off. 

Elizabeth paused as she noticed something. Something in his dark eyes she’d never seen before. Insecurity. 

Before she could stop herself, she said, 

“Fine.” 

It was Meliodas’s turn to blink in surprise. “Really?” he said. 

“Fine,” she said again. 

“That’s it? Just fine?” 

“Yes, do you need more?” 

For several seconds he stood before her, stammering. She hopped down from the table on which she sat, and walked over to him. From this close, she towered a full foot above him, and had to look down to meet his up-turned gaze. 

She held out her hand. 

“What are you doing?” Meliodas asked, stepping back. 

“Shaking hands, isn’t it obvious? So we can seal the truce.” 

He stared down at her hand for several seconds, so long that she was almost about to retract it, until suddenly he gripped her fingers in his own. 

She took a breath. His hand was warm against hers, even through his glove. Did all demons feel like this? She didn’t know. She’d never shook hands with one before. 

Too quickly, she retracted her hand. “That’s that, then,” she said. “Truce.” 

“Truce,” he repeated. “Gods, I can’t believe I’m doing this,” he muttered. 

“You can’t believe it? What about me?” she said, gesturing to herself. 

He growled. “I never should have come here. Why are we even doing this?” 

That was actually a good question. “Why are you here?” she asked. “You don’t seem like the type to call a truce.” 

“I’m not. And I’m here because…” He paused and sighed. “Because we’re stuck here. Together.” He said the word like it pained him. The next words he said through gritted teeth. “As much as I hate it, you’re the only other one from Britannia here.” 

“I’m the only one who gets it,” she said with realization. 

He nodded, not looking at her. 

She almost stumbled. Was Meliodas…lonely? 

But that didn’t make any sense. Demons didn’t get lonely. They were monsters who had no emotions. And yet she couldn’t deny the proof before her. Meliodas refused to meet her eyes. His brow was furrowed, his lips tight. 

“Well,” she said. “When we get home, will the truce be over?” 

“Of course,” he said, looking at her finally. 

“Then I will kill you.” 

“Are you kidding? I’m killing you,” he said. 

She narrowed her eyes. “We shall see.” 

“Tch. Whatever.” He turned away towards the door. “You! Come out,” he shouted. Tony and Rhodes came out from behind the door. Rhodes at least looked sheepish, Tony just looked like he was having the time of his life. 

“We knew you were there, you know,” Elizabeth said. 

“Well, of course,” Tony said. “But you had a good conversation, didn’t you?” 

Elizabeth and Meliodas both frowned at him. He just chuckled. 

“Sorry,” Rhodes said. “But at least you have a truce now.” 

“Hmph.” Meliodas turned and walked out the door. Elizabeth looked on as he left. She bit her lip. He was truly fascinating. 

“So,” Tony said, clapping his hands together. “That’s that. We’ll see you later, then,” he told Elizabeth, walking out the door with Rhodes. 

She sighed after they left, sitting down on the bed once more. She hugged her knees to her chest. That Meliodas. Why was he so insecure? This was by far the most bizarre thing she’d ever encountered. A demon who had insecurities. She’d have to start treating him like…well, like a person. And that frightened her. 

Demons were monsters. She’d been taught that all her life. By her mother, by the other goddesses. Even by the fairies, giants, and humans. But Meliodas was defying everything she’d ever been told. He was shy, and stubborn, and dare she say it, handsome. 

She covered her face with her hands. Handsome? Really? She wasn’t thinking straight. That had to be it. She could never think of Meliodas as even remotely attractive. 

But what now? Now that she wasn’t fighting him, what should she do? She touched a hand to her wing. Right now, she had to concentrate on getting better. Then returning home. Then, finally, she could kill that demon Meliodas.


	7. Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry that this is a day late! Please enjoy!

_“It’s you and me, there’s nothing like this, Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince. We’re so sad we paint the town blue, voted most likely to run away with you.”_   
\- Taylor Swift 

TONY: 

“Cheers,” Tony said with a grin. The other Avengers raised their glasses of wine and clinked them together. 

As Tony sipped, Natasha said, 

“I’m honestly impressed, Tony. You managed to talk to Elizabeth.” 

“Well, I don’t deserve all the credit,” Tony said, holding up a hand. “Rhodey did a lot of work too.” 

Rhodey smiled lopsidedly. “Yeah, I’m surprised. We actually got them to agree to a truce. Now they won’t trying to kill each other at every turn.” 

“So now what?” Bruce asked. “You said you wanted them to stop the war, right?”

Tony nodded. 

“That’s a lot to ask of two teenagers.” 

“Aren’t they—” 

“Well, they look like teenagers.” 

Tony sighed. “Yeah. I know.” 

Natasha looked at him. “Bruce is right. This goal is too ambitious.” 

“Okay.” He held up his hands. “What do you want to do, then?” 

“Let’s just start with them getting along, shall we?” Rhodey said. “They still hate each other.” 

“I don’t know about that,” Tony said. 

“What?” 

“I think they like each other.” 

“What?” everyone else cried at the same time. 

“I’m telling you, the signs are there,” Tony said with a laugh. “I’m almost positive Elizabeth likes Meliodas, but I’m not sure about the other way around yet.” 

Rhodey shook his head. “That’s just crazy.” 

“Oh yeah? Care to take a bet?” 

Rhodey side-eyed him. “Oh?” 

“I bet you twenty dollars I can get them together.” 

Rhodey raised an eyebrow. 

“Oh, come on. You were never one to turn down a bet.” 

The man rolled his eyes, then said, “Fine. You’re on. But I’m not going to lose.” 

“I was just about to say that.” 

“Well now that that’s out of the way, let’s do something constructive, huh?” Natasha said. “Like making dinner. I’m starving.” 

“I’ll start washing the potatoes,” Bruce said, making his way to the sink. 

“Fine, I know when I’m not wanted,” Tony said. He looked to Rhodey. “Let’s get the two lovebirds down from their rooms.” 

Rhodey shook his head. “I still don’t think you can pull it off.” 

“We’ll see, Rhodey.” 

MELIODAS: 

Meliodas pushed the last pin into the wall, securing the map. He stepped back to look over his handiwork. He’d taken pieces of paper from one of the humans’ rooms and secured them all to the wall, drawing on them to make an enormous map. 

A map of Britannia. 

Everything was there, from the forests to the oceans. He’d gathered even more pins and pushed them on to designate where the goddesses and demons had taken territory. This wasn’t looking good. 

The goddesses were just barely winning. 

He bit his lip and glared at the map. This would be so much easier if his hearts would stop racing. If his cheeks could stop heating up every time he thought of that damn goddess. 

That damn goddess! 

What was she doing to him? He couldn’t seem to calm down. Ever since their truce, when he’d clasped her hand in his, he’d been like this. Even during that conversation, he’d been barely able to look at her. Something about the way her blue eyes shone…

No. He shook his head, ridding himself of the thought. Those thoughts bordered on treason.

Someone knocked at the door. Meliodas turned to see Tony standing by the doorframe. 

“What?” Meliodas said sharply. 

“Whatcha working on?” Tony asked, walking into the room. He looked at the map. “That’s Britannia?” 

Meliodas nodded. 

“And what’re all the pins for?” 

“I suppose I don’t mind telling you. The blue ones are the territories the goddesses have taken. Villages, and such. The red pins are territories taken by the demons.” 

Tony nodded, looking distracted. His eyes looked almost frightened as he looked at the map. 

“How old are you, again?” he asked softly. 

“Over two hundred.” 

“And that’s young for a demon, yeah?” 

“I suppose.” 

“Jesus.” Tony rubbed a hand over his face. “I’m sorry.” 

“Sorry for what? That I have to fight? I’m doing what I must. I have no complaints.” 

Tony took a deep breath in, then out. “Well, if you say so. I still think it’s wrong.” 

“What is?” 

“This whole war. It sounds like it’s for no damn reason.” 

“Of course it’s for a reason. It’s…” 

“Exactly.” 

Meliodas growled. “Will you humans stop doing that?” 

“Doing what?” 

“Making me question everything I’ve ever known. Stop.”

“Well maybe it’s a good thing. Maybe you and Elizabeth need to wake up.” Tony’s voice escalated. 

“I’m plenty awake!” Meliodas cried, punching the wall. 

Several moments of silence passed. Tony heaved a sigh. “All right. Sorry I yelled. I didn’t mean to make you angry. But it’s dinner time.” 

Meliodas scoffed. “You expect me to eat with you humans?” 

“Are you going to eat somewhere else?” Tony raised his eyebrows. 

Meliodas scowled. “Fine,” he said. “But don’t expect any thanks from me.” He pushed past Tony to make his way towards the meal. 

ELIZABETH: 

At the large dinner table, Elizabeth scowled at Meliodas from across the table. Because he had perfect manners. Perfect. Damn. Manners. He had his napkin in his lap and everything. 

“Are…you okay?” Tony asked next to her. He sat on her left, while Natasha was on her right. Across the table, Bruce and Rhodes sat on either side of Meliodas. 

“Fine,” she said, looking away from the demon and focusing on her plate. They’d made her a kind of cooked animal between two pieces of bread, with fried vegetables on the side. They called it ‘burgers and fries’. She had no idea how to eat it, so she did what she thought was best: she picked up her knife and fork. 

“You eat it like this,” Natasha said, tapping her shoulder. She picked up the burger with her hands and took a bite. Elizabeth blinked. 

“Oh. Okay…” she trailed off. She picked up the food gingerly, and took the smallest bite she could. 

Across the table, Meliodas laughed. 

She looked at him, putting her burger down. “What?” she snapped. 

“You’re so delicate,” he said. “It’s hilarious.” 

“I am not.” 

“You so are.” 

“I’m sure you thought that when I stabbed three of your hearts,” she said, her hand going reflexively to the knife on her placemat. 

“Woah, hey!” Rhodes said. “We don’t need to kill each other. Don’t you two have a truce?” 

“That doesn’t mean we can’t talk about it,” Elizabeth said, like it was no big deal. Because it wasn’t. She was still going to kill Meliodas as soon as they got back to Britannia. 

“What’s that you said about stabbing three of his hearts?” Tony asked. 

“All higher-level demons have seven hearts,” Meliodas said. 

“Oh…okay,” Tony said, eyebrows shooting to the roof. “And how high level are you?” 

“The Demon King is my father,” he said, like he was proud of it. 

“He’s your what?” Bruce, Tony, and Rhodes cried at the same time. 

“Yes, Meliodas here is eldest demon prince,” Elizabeth said, every word dripping with venom. 

“Says the daughter of the Supreme Deity,” Meliodas replied with just as much hatred. “Damn princess.” 

All eyes turned to her. 

“So, you really weren’t gonna tell us you’re a prince and princess?” Tony asked. He looked to Rhodes, who shrugged. 

“Why? It didn’t come up," she said. 

“Well it’s just that that would explain why you’re fighting. You’re obligated to by birthright.” 

“Yes,” Meliodas said. 

“Oh. Well, okay then.” Tony leaned back in his chair. 

“What?” Elizabeth asked. 

“He’s just thinking it must be hard,” Natasha said. 

“Why would you think that?” Elizabeth said. 

“You must be obligated to do a lot of things, right?” Bruce said. 

Elizabeth nodded. “I suppose.” She shivered. Because they were right. It was hard. Everything she did was by order of the Supreme Deity, her own mother. She had no choices.   
And yet, here she was here in another world, being told to question everything she knew. Oh gods, what was she doing? Her knife fell to the floor with a clatter. How could she have honestly been thinking that there was no point to the war? That kind of thinking would ruin her. It was treason. Her mother would…oh gods…

Her mother would kill her. If she was lucky. 

Without warning, she shoved her chair back and ran from the room. She ran, not thinking where she was going, just concentrating on going somewhere else. She found her way to the stairs, and took them two at a time, even relying on her unbroken wings to help her. She kept on going until she arrived at the roof. 

After she slammed the door behind her, she took a few hesitant steps before collapsing to her knees. Her heart hammered in her chest like a war drum. Every breath hurt. Tears blurred her vision, and she let out a sob. 

“Oh gods…what have I done?” she muttered. 

The door opened behind her, and she said, “Please, Tony, don’t bother me right—” 

“I’m not Tony,” a low voice said. She gasped and turned to see…

“Meliodas?” she said, scarcely believing her own eyes. 

MELIODAS: 

Of course she was crying alone on the roof. She was a goddess. Could she get any more pathetic? 

So what was he doing here? After she’d run off crying, he’d found himself chasing after her before anyone else could. Why? 

As if echoing his thoughts, she asked in a shaking voice, 

“Why are you here?” 

“I…I don’t know,” he said honestly. 

“Then go away.” She turned from him, wiping a tear from her cheek. She clearly wanted to keep crying, but wouldn’t let herself. 

“No,” he found himself saying. 

“Why not?” she said, defensive. “Leave me alone.” 

“Because you’re crying.” He took a step closer. As much as he hated to admit it, the sight of her tears pained him. And now that they had a truce, he could do this, couldn’t he? Their parents were nowhere nearby. 

“Oh, so you care suddenly? You?” 

He looked away. “No. Yes. I don’t know.” 

“Well, decide. I don’t need to deal with an enemy right now.” She wiped at her eyes and sniffled. 

“Will…will you tell me why you’re crying?” 

She took a shuddering breath. “Why should I?” 

“Because. I…” Care. 

She sniffled once again as he knelt beside her. “My mother,” she said finally. 

“What about her?” 

“She’ll kill me when we return home.” 

He nodded. “Oh. Right. Because you’re—” 

“Talking with a demon,” she finished. “And making a truce with a demon. And so many other things I shouldn’t be doing.” 

“Oh…” He didn’t quite know what to say. She would definitely be killed for what she was doing. And he didn’t exactly have a remedy for that. There wasn’t anything he could really do. 

Well, there was one thing. But he wouldn’t be caught dead doing it. His father would…

Oh, screw it. His father wasn’t here right now. 

Gently, he lifted his hand to the goddess’s head and placed her forehead on his shoulder. 

Naturally she froze. “What are you doing?” she asked. 

“Just cry,” he said. “No one else is here.” 

At first, she didn’t do anything. She just sat there, her head on his shoulder. It wasn’t until he fully faced her and allowed her to press her forehead to his chest that she began bawling like a child. 

He didn’t know how long he let her cry. It must have been twenty minutes or more. But the entire time, he held her to his chest, letting her weep. Letting her get all of her fear out. 

He was terrified too. His father was going to kill him when he got back. All of the demons would. What he and the goddess were doing was dangerous. No…not the goddess. 

Elizabeth. She deserved to be called by her name. 

He blinked. What was he doing? His hearts pounded. Here he was, letting a goddess cry into his coat. Not just any goddess. Blood-Stained Ellie. 

But how could he turn her down? She needed someone. She needed him. 

“It’s gonna be okay, Elizabeth,” he whispered into her hair. 

As her crying subsided, she said, “You called me Elizabeth.” 

“So?” 

“You’ve never called me by name before.” 

“Is that so wrong?” 

She laughed softly. “Everything about this is wrong.” 

He chuckled. “Yeah.” 

She lifted her head and sniffed. “I’m sorry for getting your coat all wet.” 

“It’s…okay.” At least, maybe it was. Oh gods, what was he doing? He’d just held a goddess to his chest. And let her cry. And now his coat was soaked with goddess tears. He froze. Oh gods…

“What?” Elizabeth asked. 

“Nothing,” he said quickly. “I’ve just never done that before.” 

Her face flushed crimson. She looked down. “Oh gods…what are we doing?” she asked herself. 

“I don’t know. But let’s never speak of this again, okay?” 

She nodded. “Agreed.” 

“Let’s just go down there and say it suddenly rained, or something.” He pointed to his wet coat. 

“Okay.” 

“And we don’t ever mention this. Ever again.” 

“Absolutely.” 

Because if they did? If they ever did anything like that again? They’d both be killed.


	8. Young

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaah I'm so sorry this is a week late!

_“Don’t worry my love, we’re learning to love, but it’s hard when you’re young.”_  
\- The Chainsmokers

TONY: 

The next day, Meliodas and Elizabeth were acting strange. Well, stranger than usual. Every time Tony saw them pass each other in the hall, they avoided each other, walking at least ten feet away like the other had the plague. They wouldn’t even look at each other. And it wasn’t from hatred; Tony could tell that much. No, there was panic in their eyes, and some shared secret. What had happened on the roof last night? 

Tony remembered how shocked Meliodas had looked at the table as Elizabeth had run off. Tony had just been thinking about going after her, when Meliodas had beat him to it. After he’d left, everyone else had sat in stunned silence. No one had chased after them, though. They knew the two needed some time alone, if they were ever going to bridge the impossible gap between them. 

Tony hoped they were at least making some progress. 

When he passed Meliodas’s room however, the boy was poring over the map once again, muttering to himself. Tony only caught a few words, something about a damn goddess. Tony rolled his eyes and entered, knocking on the doorframe. 

MELIODAS: 

Meliodas turned at the knock. He scowled when he saw Tony. “What do you want?” he asked.

“Nothing,” Tony said, holding up his hands in surrender. “Just have a few questions, is all.” 

“Well then ask and be gone.” 

“Fine, fine.” Tony walked in and sat in the desk chair. “What’s your deal?” 

“Sorry?” 

“With Elizabeth. Why have you two been avoiding each other all day?” 

A flush creeped up Meliodas’s neck as he thought of the previous night. Elizabeth crying into his jacket. His arms around her. He couldn’t possibly tell Tony that, though. 

“No reason,” he said quickly. 

“Right,” Tony said, like he didn’t believe him. “Well, either way, you two can’t avoid each other forever.” 

“Why not?” Meliodas hunched his shoulders. 

“Because, you two need to get home. And like it or not, you need to do that together. So? What’s wrong?” 

Meliodas let out a long breath. What did he have to lose, anyway? His father was probably going to kill him anyway. 

“What if everything I know is wrong?” he said softly. 

“Huh?” 

“I’m starting to think that everything I thought I knew about goddesses is wrong.” 

Tony straightened, his face sobering. “Oh. Damn.” 

Meliodas nodded, not looking at the man. 

“That’s good though, right?” 

“No, it’s not.” Meliodas frowned. “I’m the prince. I’m a soldier. I can’t afford to question things.” 

Tony tilted his head. “Of course you can. Your father’s not anywhere near here. Besides, everyone questions what they’ve been taught at some point. I know I did.” 

Meliodas turned to him. “How could you possible know what this is like?” 

Tony sighed. “Years ago…I was the biggest jerk I knew. I didn’t care about anything. Least of all people. I dealt in weapons. I made weapons for wars. But then I got trapped in a cave. I was forced to make weapons for some bad people. And then I realized everything I’d ever thought was wrong. So yes,” he said, meeting Meliodas’s eyes. “I think I know what it’s like.” 

Meliodas stood in silence for a long time. The only sounds in the room were his and Tony’s breathing, and the sound of a bird out the window. 

“But last night…” Meliodas started. “I saw a side of Elizabeth I didn’t know was there. She was sad. Vulnerable. I didn’t think goddesses felt anything.” 

Tony scoffed. “Everyone feels things, Meliodas.” 

“I didn’t think goddesses did.” Last night, Elizabeth had been more afraid than he’d ever seen her. She’d been terrified that the Supreme Deity was going to kill her for talking with a demon. With him. And she probably would. Elizabeth was right to be afraid. But that didn’t explain why Meliodas had held her in his arms like he did. 

Well, he knew the answer to that actually. It was because he cared. 

Still, his hearts pounded in his chest, and he felt light-headed. How could he have changed so much in two days? 

“I just don’t understand,” he said. 

“Understand what?” 

“How I could have been so wrong.” Because if he had been wrong about the goddesses, then maybe he was wrong about other things. Maybe the whole war. And if that was the case…

His breath sped up, and his hearts pounded in his chest. He covered his face with a hand, because suddenly the lights of the room were too bright. 

“Okay,” Tony said gently, getting up and walking over to him. “It’s gonna be okay.” 

“No it’s not,” Meliodas said in a tight voice. “I’m the prince of the demons. I can’t afford to make mistakes like this. I can’t afford to be this mistaken.” 

“Yes, you can. Everyone’s been wrong about something. Even something as big as this. You’re gonna be fine.” 

“How do you know that?” Meliodas said, uncovering his face. 

“Because I was fine. Because Elizabeth is gonna be fine too. You two have just been indoctrinated…really, really well. That’s all.” 

“Indoctrinated? By who?” he said. 

“Who do you think?” 

Meliodas gasped. “You think I’ve been lied to by my father.” 

Tony let out a breath. “It’s very possible.” 

“B-but he wouldn’t. He’s my father. I do everything he commands. You really think he’s been lying?” 

“Maybe.” 

“But why?” 

“I don’t know that. People in power do things differently. I should know.” He crossed his arms, then uncrossed them. “You’re gonna be all right, yeah?” 

Meliodas nodded, taking a shaking breath. “Yeah.” 

“Good. Identity crises aren’t easy. Believe me, I know.” 

Meliodas smirked. “Yeah.” 

“But you’re gonna be fine.” 

“…Thank you.” 

ELIZABETH: 

Elizabeth was carefully looking at her mending wing when Rhodes walked into her room. He knocked on the door, and she let him in soon after. 

“Can I help you?” she asked as he stepped in. 

“I just want to talk,” he said with a shrug. 

“Oh.” What was it now? All these humans wanted to do was talk. Not that she was about to tell him that it annoyed her. 

“I just have a question, that’s all.” 

“Oh.” She straightened. “Well, that’s simple. Ask away.” She sat on the edge of the bed while he sat in the desk chair. 

“Why are you so afraid of your mother?” 

She froze and closed her eyes. “Oh,” she said after a moment. She opened her eyes. “Is that all?” 

“Yeah. Pretty much.” 

“I see.” She wrung her hand in her lap. “Well, it’s not like I’m afraid of her. She’s very gracious to me. Quite kind, sometimes.” 

“Sometimes?” 

Elizabeth let out a sigh. “She can be…cold. Particularly to those who disobey her. The penalty for treason is death, and sometimes worse. My mother is…particularly gifted with curses.” 

Rhodes looked down. “I see.” 

“And while I’ve been here, I’ve not only spoken with a demon, I’ve made a truce with him. That doesn’t just border on treason. That crosses a line I swore I’d never break.” Her eyes watered. “I’m a good daughter. I swear I am. But while I’ve been here I’ve broken so many rules. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to make things right.” 

“Maybe you don’t need to.” 

“What?” she said. 

Rhodey looked at her. “No offense, Elizabeth, but your mother sounds like a jerk. A mother should be there for her child, no matter what. Sounds like that isn’t your mom.” 

Her shoulders drooped. “Not exactly.” 

“Maybe breaking the rules a little could be good for you.” 

She laughed. “Oh sure, that’ll be a good idea. ‘S not like that won’t get me killed.” She hugged her knees to her chest. “This truce will be the end of me, won’t it?” 

“You don’t know that.” 

“No, I do know that,” she insisted. “My mother doesn’t tolerate any disobedience. Not even by her own daughter. When I failed to kill Meliodas the first time…” She shuddered.

Rhodes tilted his head. “What happened the first time you two met?” 

She shook her head. “I didn’t kill him.” She bowed her head. “Why couldn’t I have done it? It would have been better for everyone. Then maybe I wouldn’t be stuck with this stupid truce.” Her face burned at the thought of being held by Meliodas last night. 

“Maybe. The rest of the goddesses might have done it. So why didn’t you?” 

“…I don’t know. I couldn’t.” 

“Is that all?” 

Her shoulders stiffened. “Why does it matter?” 

“Because I think there’s more to the story.” 

“I don’t know…” As she spoke her voice rose in pitch until she cried, “I wouldn’t!” 

“Wouldn’t?” 

“Thousands of years, and I’m the first goddess who wouldn’t kill a demon.” 

Rhodes sighed, then said, “First to make a truce with one, though. So…” 

Elizabeth looked away. Several moments of silence passed before she said, “I wouldn’t kill him…because he looked as frightened as I was. I was terrified in that moment. I guess he was too. I looked at him…and I saw myself.” 

“Mm. Wonder what he’s feeling now.” 

“Who cares? I certainly don’t care about how a demon feels. It’s not like they feel anything anyway.” 

Well, that wasn’t true. He’d been compassionate, truly kind to her, last night. 

“I don’t know about that,” Rhodes. 

“Hm. We’ll see.” 

“…One more thing.” 

She looked at him. “You said only one question.” 

“Sorry, this is my last thing, I swear.” 

“…Fine.” 

“Why’ve you been avoiding Meliodas all day?” 

A jolt of lightning shot down her spine. So he’d noticed? “No reason,” she said, too quickly.

“Uh-huh,” Rhodes said, like he didn’t believe her. 

“It’s just…last night, he helped me when I was frightened. And I’m grateful, I really am. But we can never speak of it again. If we were ever found out, we’d both be killed. And…” She bowed her head. 

“And what?” 

“I’m frightened. And not because of my mother. This time it’s something else.” 

Rhodes walked up to her and sat down beside her. He put a hand on her shoulder. “You can tell me, you know,” he said. 

She gulped. “I-I know. It’s just, what if I’m wrong? About demons, I mean. Meliodas was so kind to me last night. He told me it was going to be all right. That’s not what demons are supposed to do. They’re supposed to be evil, and malicious, and—” 

“So you think you’re wrong about demons?” 

She nodded. 

“Well, that’s okay, isn’t it? It’s all right to be wrong.” 

“Not about something like this,” she said, shaking her head and sniffling. “If I’m wrong about demons, that means someone lied to me. And you know who taught me about demons? My mother. The other goddesses.” 

“Oh.” Rhodey’s eyes widened. 

“What if everyone’s been wrong? How could we make such a colossal mistake? I’ve been killing demons my entire life. I can never make up for the amounts I’ve slain. They call me Blood-Stained Ellie for a reason.” She wiped a hand over her face. “And what do I do? Stop killing them? That would get me killed.” 

“I’m sorry,” Rhodes said honestly. “I wish I could help you more.” 

She sniffled again. “It’s okay. Thank you for listening to me. I just don’t know what to do now.” 

“You’ll figure it out,” he said. “You’ve got a good head on your shoulders. And we’re gonna be here, if you need us.” 

“Thank you, Rhodes.” 

He smiled. “Call me Rhodey. Everyone does.” 

She gave a smile back. “Of course, Rhodey.” 

“On another subject, you’re healing up good,” he said, nodding at her wing. 

“Yes,” she said brightly. “I should be able to fly by tomorrow.” 

“That’s good.” He stood. “If you need anything, just let any of us know, okay?” 

“Of course. Thank you.” 

With that, he left.


	9. Treacherous

_“This slope is treacherous; this path is reckless. This slope is treacherous, but I, I, I like it.”_  
\- Taylor Swift

MELIODAS: 

Meliodas rose early the next morning, after getting a few hours’ sleep, which surprised him. He didn’t usually sleep much. He glanced out his window as he put his coat on, and frowned. What was Elizabeth doing outside? She stood alone in the middle of the green field, and he noticed with a start that she’d taken her bandages off. Her wing was now as pristine as it had ever been. Ah, so that must be it. She must be trying to fly again. 

Lo and behold, she took a few hesitant flaps. Her feet rose off the ground a foot or so, before she touched back down. Her wing must still hurt a bit, though it couldn’t be broken anymore. 

Before he could stop himself, he walked to the window and opened it. After conjuring some black wings, he flew out towards her, leaving the window open behind him. 

As he landed next to her, she glanced at him with a furrowed brow. Uncertainty hung in the air between them.

“What is it?” she asked, taking a step away from him. “I’m busy.” 

“I wanted to know if you needed help.” 

“I’m perfectly capable of flying, Meliodas.” 

“I know. But…would you like some company?” At her frown, he said, “We have a truce, right?” 

She looked away, but nodded. 

“So…will you fly with me?” 

She turned her gaze towards the sky, then towards him. Finally she sighed and said, “Fine. I suppose it couldn’t hurt.” 

TONY: 

Tony was sitting in the dining room with the others when he saw them. Elizabeth rose to the sky, quickly followed by Meliodas. They flew in a few circles, clearly to let Elizabeth test out her newly-healed wings, before shooting off into the sky. 

“Will you look at that,” Tony said, pointing. “See? I told you they’d like each other.” 

“They’re just flying,” Rhodey said. 

“Just flying? I dunno, flying can be pretty romantic.” 

Rhodey just rolled his eyes. 

“You boys and your headcanons,” Natasha said, sitting on the table and sipping a soda. “Let’s just see how this plays out, shall we?” 

“Agreed,” Bruce added. 

“Oh, please. You know I’m right,” Tony said. 

“We’ll see.” Natasha took another sip. 

ELIZABETH: 

As they flew over the forest, Elizabeth had a flashback to the last time she’d flown over such a place. It was right before her fight with Meliodas, before she’d come to this place called Earth. Before she’d known that not all demons were bad. Maybe none of them were. 

She shook her head. For now, she needed to concentrate on flying. She flapped her wings again, keeping up with Meliodas. Her wing hurt a little, but she could still fly on it. 

“How are you feeling?” Meliodas called over the wind. 

“Fine,” she replied. Why was he suddenly concerned about her? She didn’t quite get that. So she watched him as they flew, taking care not to be overt about it. His eyes were as dark and unreadable as ever. She watched the dark sun symbol on his forehead. “Is that permanent?” she found herself asking. 

“What?” he asked. 

She pointed to her own forehead. 

“Oh. I don’t know. It’s been there most of my life.” 

“Most of?” 

He avoided her gaze. “There was…a time before I came into my power. I was weak then.” 

“Oh. Well…there was a time like that for me too.” She closed and opened her eyes, feeling her power flow through her. She knew the goddess symbol was on her eyes now. Meliodas met her gaze and held it. 

When she blinked, she felt her eyes turn back to blue. “I suppose we were both weak at one point,” she said. 

“Not anymore. I’ll still kill you.” When he said this, he sounded more uncertain than she’d ever heard him. 

“Not if I kill you first,” she replied on instinct. But she didn’t want to anymore. How could she possibly tell him that, though? She had no idea how he felt about her. 

So she stopped. 

Meliodas stopped too, hovering a few feet in the air before her. “What?” he asked, clearly a little annoyed that they’d ceased flying. 

“Meliodas,” she said slowly. “I have a question.” 

He raised an eyebrow. “What?” 

“It’ll only take a moment. But…do you still want to kill me?” 

MELIODAS: 

His mind drew a blank as soon as she asked the question. For several seconds, he just hovered there in shock. 

His automatic response should have been ‘yes’. 

Then why did he want to scream ‘no’? 

“I-I don’t know,” he said, hoping that would suffice. 

“Oh, come on. Give me an answer.” 

He closed his eyes, as if that would make her go away. When he opened them, she was still there, frowning. 

He looked in her blue, blue eyes so long he felt like he was getting lost. His eyes searched her face, as if that could provide him with the courage he needed to answer. Her silver hair caught in the wind, and he felt the urge to brush it out of her face. Her lips, though fixed in a frown, looked soft. 

Okay, where the hell was his mind going? 

Without warning, he flew off away from her. 

ELIZABETH: 

Where was he going? She scowled and flew off after him. 

“Meliodas!” she called. 

He didn’t answer. 

“Meliodas,” she tried again. 

He still flew on in silence. 

Finally, she put on a burst of speed and kept going until she was close enough to grab his hand and pull him to a stop. 

“What?” he snapped. 

“Why won’t you answer me?” she said. “It’s just a question. I just want to know how you feel.” 

“How I—what?” 

“About me,” she finished. “Please, just…give me an answer.” 

MELIODAS: 

How he felt? About her? 

He hated her. Obviously. But why did that feel like a lie? He looked at her face again. His gaze perused her eyes, her cheeks, her lips. 

The pull was so strong now, he couldn’t resist it. 

Screw it. 

He flew closer, closed his eyes, and placed his lips on hers. 

ELIZABETH: 

She gasped in surprise when he kissed her. Her breath was swallowed by his mouth, however. His mouth on hers. Oh gods, what were they doing? 

But all thoughts flew out the window. Gods, his lips were so warm. She let her eyes close as she kissed him back. 

MELIODAS: 

She was kissing back. That was a good thing, right? He reached forward, placing his hands on her arms. He’d never kissed anyone before. He’d never had occasion too. But this was…. He took a shuddering breath when she wrapped her arms around him, tilting her head just so, so that their lips slid together perfectly. Feeling braver, he slid his hands to her waist, pulling her closer. He muttered her name like a prayer. 

ELIZABETH: 

After several seconds, when they paused for breath, she whispered, 

“We should probably land.” 

He nodded. 

MELIODAS: 

Seconds later, they sat on the branch of a tall tree, lips meeting once again. Meliodas sat against the trunk, while Elizabeth sat in his lap. 

Gods, what were they doing? This was supposed to be wrong in every way. And yet he’d never felt more right. Her lips were killing all of his thoughts. 

Was this a good kiss? He didn’t know. He was kissing his enemy. He’d never kissed a goddess before. He’d never kissed Elizabeth. Now he wanted to kiss her every day for the rest of their lives. 

The rest of their lives…this was going to be their doom, wasn’t it? 

ELIZABETH: 

When he pulled away, she let out a soft noise of protest. She opened her eyes and saw raw pain in his. 

“We shouldn’t,” he said, sounding upset. 

“No,” she agreed. “We shouldn’t.” 

“This will kill us.” 

“Probably.” 

She moved in and kissed him again. 

MELIODAS: 

When she kissed him again, he kissed her back harder, pouring all of his feelings into the kiss. What those feelings were, he didn’t quite know. Oh, bullshit. Of course he knew. He just didn’t want to admit it. 

He was falling in love with her. And he was an idiot for doing so. He wasn’t thinking. 

Oh, fine, he thought. If loving her means I don’t think, then I never want to think again. 

ELIZABETH: 

Two hours and dozens of kisses later, they lay on the grass in a meadow they’d found. Elizabeth had her head on his chest, and Meliodas had an arm around her shoulders. She closed her eyes. 

“Tired?” Meliodas asked. 

She shook her head no. She was happy, honestly. Happier than she’d ever been. She sat up to give him a smile, then froze. He was looking at her. And his eyes…

“Your eyes are green,” she said in surprise. And the symbol on his forehead was gone. 

His eyes widened, and he sat up. “Are you sure?” he cried. 

She nodded. 

“Oh, gods,” he said, putting a hand to his forehead. 

“What? Is that bad?” she said. 

“No.” He took a breath, calming down. “It just hasn’t happened since I was small.” 

“Oh.” 

He breathed in, and his eyes became dark once more. 

“Wait,” she said. 

“What?” 

“…Keep them green. Just for now.” 

“Why?” 

She gave a little smile. “Your eyes are beautiful. You don’t have to hide them.” 

“Oh.” His face flushed, and he looked down. 

“You know, we should be getting back soon,” she said after a moment.

“Maybe.” 

“They’ll be wondering where we are.” 

“Probably.” 

She waited until he laid back down to put her head on his chest once more. “Then let’s stay here awhile longer, okay?” 

He kissed her forehead. “Okay, Elizabeth.”


	10. State of Grace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: alcohol use

_“These are the hands of fate, you’re my Achilles heel, this is the golden age of something good, and right, and real.”_  
\- Taylor Swift

MELIODAS: 

Meliodas didn’t know what he was doing. As he and Elizabeth flew back to the compound that night, they held hands, knitting their fingers together. His mind was a haze of mixing thoughts. The smart part of him said this was a colossally bad idea. The part that was winning said that this was the best idea he’d ever had. 

Because he was happy for the first time in his life. Truly happy. As he looked at Elizabeth, he grinned. She smiled back, a blush spreading over her cheeks. He felt his own face heat at the sight. Gods, what was he doing? He didn’t care. All he knew was that he was a different person than he’d been yesterday. And maybe…maybe that was okay. Maybe that was good. 

His head felt clear for the first time in a long time. Maybe that was because he had finally dropped his guard. He knew his eyes were green now, and the demon symbol on his forehead was gone. He could easily call the power back if he needed of course, but for now he was content to let it rest inside of him, laying low until he decided to use it. The only sign of his power now was the dark wings that stretched from his back. 

What was Elizabeth doing to him? He didn’t want to kill her anymore. He wanted to love her. How could he have changed so much in three days? 

Well, maybe this had been going on for a lot longer than that, he realized. Maybe this was the reason he’d never been able to kill her. Maybe he’d been falling in love with her from the moment he saw her and was just now realizing it. 

He squeezed her hand tighter. She did the same. 

He wondered what she was thinking. 

ELIZABETH:

Elizabeth had no idea what she was thinking. Here she was, holding hands with a demon. But right now she was more at peace than she’d felt in a long, long time. She wasn’t scared of her mother right now. All she felt was…what was this? Love? Maybe it was. That was the only term she could think of to describe the pounding of her heart when she looked at Meliodas, the heat of her face when he smiled, the way she found herself thinking of him when she was alone. 

She was falling in love with him. And maybe…maybe that was okay. Maybe this had been going on for awhile. Maybe ever since she first met him…

Suddenly she asked, “What do you want to do when we get back?” 

“I dunno,” he said. “What do you want to do?” 

“Something crazy.” 

He grinned. “Me too.” 

“I heard Tony has a liqueur cabinet.” 

“…perfect.” 

TONY: 

Tony was in his workshop when Rhodey came in. He was at work on another draft of his suit when Rhodey said, 

“Well, I have good news and bad news.” 

“Oh? Let me guess. The good news is they’re finally back, and the bad news is they hate each other more than ever.” 

“No, actually.” 

Tony turned and lifted his goggles. “No?” 

“The good news is yeah, they’re back.” 

“So what’s the bad news?” 

“They’re um…well, you better follow me.” 

Tony frowned and got up from his seat. “It can’t be that bad.” He followed Rhodey out the door and down the hall. Suddenly, he heard a pounding beat echoing down the hallway. “The hell? What is that?” 

“That’s part one of the bad news. They’ve discovered how to use computers. Which led to Spotify.” 

“…oh. Well that’s not too bad, right?” 

“Uh…” 

Finally, the two arrived at the door to the basement. After a short walk down the stairs, the beat got louder and louder until they arrived at a large, long room. There were Meliodas and Elizabeth all right, dancing around the room like they didn’t have a care in the world. And in their hands were…

Bottles? 

Tony turned to Rhodey, his eyebrows shooting up. 

“They’ve raided your liqueur cabinet,” Rhodey said with a sigh. “And now they’re getting smashed.” 

Tony just laughed. He waved to Meliodas when he turned to look up at Tony and Rhodey. Tony blinked. Meliodas’s eyes were a bright grass green. Oh, well. That probably happened to demons, right? 

“Hey!” Meliodas cried, waving and grinning. Elizabeth turned as well, and smiled. 

“This alcohol is absolutely excellent!” she shouted to be heard above the music. 

“You’re welcome,” Tony said. “It’s mine.” 

“Oh, well. What’s one more rule broken? I’ve already broken all of them!” She laughed so hard she bent over, nearly spilling the bottle in her hand. 

“It’s true,” Meliodas said, holding up his own bottle. “And what’re our parents gonna do to us? They’re not even ‘ere.” He took a long sip. “I dunno about you,” he said, pointing exaggeratingly to Tony. “But breaking the rules feels wonderful.” 

“I’m honestly surprised they’re still coherent,” Rhodey said in Tony’s ear. “How much do you think they’ve had?” 

“Maybe it takes a lot to get goddesses and demons drunk,” Tony said with a shrug. 

“We should’ve thought of being rebels a long time ago,” Elizabeth clanked her bottle against Meliodas’s in an attempt at cheers. She was a little unsteady on her feet by this point. 

“I’lldrinktothat,” Meliodas slurred, taking another drink. 

“Hey, hey,” Tony said, walking up to Meliodas and holding out a hand. “Give me the bottle. I think you two have had enough.” 

“No!” Meliodas held the bottle protectively. “I’ve named her Elizabeth, and you can’t take her from me.” 

“You named your bottle?” 

Elizabeth hiccupped across the room. “Yup! And this here’s Meliodas.” She held up her own bottle. 

Rhodey rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah, it’s time for you two to go to bed,” Tony said, taking the bottle from Meliodas’s hand. 

“Do we haaaave to?” Elizabeth whined. “I don’t wanna be in my own room. I wanna be with him.” She pointed to Meliodas. 

“Hm?” 

“Awww, Elizabeth,” Meliodas said, like she’d just said the sweetest thing in the world. “You are so nice!” 

“You’re nicer!” she said. “I love you thiiiiiiis much.” She held out her hands to either side. 

“I love you thiiiiis much!” Meliodas said, holding his hands out as well, as if it were a contest. 

Tony just stood there, looked at Rhodey, and held his hand out. 

“What?” Rhodey asked. 

“Twenty bucks, man.” 

Rhodey rolled his eyes and pulled out his wallet, slapping the bill into Tony’s hand. 

“I’ll take Meliodas, you take Elizabeth,” Tony said. “Come on, Mel. Let’s get you to your room.” Ignoring the boy’s protests, Tony picked him up and began dragging him up the stairs. 

Thirty exhausting minutes later, Meliodas and Elizabeth were in their own rooms, fast asleep. 

“They’re gonna have a hell of a hangover tomorrow,” Tony laughed as he and Rhodey walked down the hall away from the rooms. 

“Do goddesses and demons get hangovers?” Rhodey asked. 

“Who’s getting a hangover?” Bruce asked, coming down the hall. 

Tony chuckled and explained the situation. Bruce’s eyebrows shot to the roof. 

“So they’re together now?” Bruce said. “Damn. That was fast.” 

“Hey, they’re teenagers,” Tony said. “They might break up tomorrow, but that’s being a teenager for you.” 

Bruce nodded. “Yeah, that’s fair. We should tell Nat about this. She’ll get a kick out of it.” 

“Ha, yeah. Let’s move to the kitchen though, huh? Let those crazy kids get some sleep.”


	11. This Feeling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it! Thanks so much for reading. I love and appreciate all of you! Thanks so much!

_“They tell me think with my head, not that thing in my chest, they got their hands at my neck this time. But you’re the one that I want and if that’s really so wrong, then they don’t know what this feeling is like.”_  
\- The Chainsmokers

TONY: 

Later the next day, Tony put down the phone with a sigh. Dr. Strange was not an easy man to talk to. He reminded Tony too much of himself, which annoyed him.  
And there was one other thing. Meliodas and Elizabeth sat on the couch a few feet away, holding hands and talking brightly. And neither of them were in the least bit hungover. At. All. 

“Lucky bastards,” Tony muttered, taking a sip of five-hour-energy. 

He walked out of the room and into the kitchen. 

“You needed something?” a voice said behind him. 

Tony jumped and nearly yelped when Dr. Strange himself stepped out of a portal and into the kitchen. 

“God, stop doing that!” Tony said. “Can’t you just drive here like a normal person?” 

“And waste a good three or more hours when I could just get here in a second? No, thanks. Anyway, what did you need?” 

Tony cleared his throat. This was the moment he’d been preparing for. 

“You’re going to open that dimension hole again. And Meliodas and Elizabeth are going to go home.” 

Dr. Strange frowned. “I thought I said they could adjust to life here.” 

“They deserve to go home, Strange.” 

The man raised an eyebrow. “You really care that much, then?” 

“Oh, come on. Come here.” Tony walked out of the kitchen and to the living room where Meliodas and Elizabeth sat. He stopped in the doorway, so that the two didn’t notice him. “Look at them.” He gestured to the pair. Meliodas laughed at something Elizabeth said, and knit their fingers together. Then he leaned in to kiss her cheek. 

“Oh,” Dr. Strange said. 

“They’re falling in love, Strange. Give them a chance to go home. They don’t deserve to be stuck here for the rest of their lives.” 

Dr. Strange sight. “Come with me.” He walked back to the kitchen. Tony followed, confused. As soon as they got there, Dr. Strange turned on him and hissed, 

“Don’t you think there’s a reason I won’t let them go home? Britannia is a warzone. They would die if they went back.” 

“They survived pretty well before.” 

Strange ran a hand over his face. “And this just makes it worse. They’ve committed treason by being together. If they’re found out, they’ll be lucky if they’re killed quickly.” 

Tony huffed. “You don’t get what I’m saying. They deserve to go home because they could change things. You always go for the worst possibilities. What if they manage to change their world? Did you ever think about that?”

“Of course I’ve thought about that. But Tony…you don’t know what they’re up against. Their parents, his father and her mother? They’re gods like we’ve never seen. And not the good kind. This war is like a game of chess to them. They don’t care about the lives lost. But you know what they do care about? Treason. They won’t tolerate anyone who speaks out against their war. I’d be sending those children to their deaths. I won’t have that on my conscience.” He crossed his arms. 

Tony pursed his lips and looked away. Dr. Strange had a point. A damn good one. Tony had no idea what Britannia was like, whereas Dr. Strange had a perfect vision of it. If it really was that terrible, then Meliodas and Elizabeth should stay here, on Earth. 

“I’ve got an idea, though,” Tony said. 

“Oh?” 

“Let them decide.” 

“What?” Dr. Strange frowned. 

“Let Meliodas and Elizabeth pick. It’s their world. If they want to go back, they get to decide that. If they want to stay here, that’s their choice too. But I don’t think we get the right to choose where they spend the rest of their lives. That’s not fair to them.” 

Several moments of silence passed. 

“Fine,” Dr. Strange said. 

“What?” 

“Fine.” The man sighed. “If they want to go back to Britannia, I’ll open the portal. If they don’t, they stay here.” 

“Thank you,” Tony said honestly. “Let’s go see what they have to say.” 

ELIZABETH: 

Elizabeth could get used to this happiness. This easy feeling. As she talked with Meliodas on the couch, fingers intertwined with his, she realized she was more content than she’d ever been. Because suddenly her mind was open. 

The goddesses were wrong. The demons didn’t deserve to be exterminated. Not when one was looking at her like she was his whole world. 

Someone cleared his throat. 

Elizabeth turned to the doorway to see Tony and that man…Dr. Strange, standing in the doorframe. 

“Hello,” she said with a smile. Meliodas nodded in greeting to the two men. 

“We have a question for you,” Tony said. 

“Oh. More questions?” She chuckled. “What can I help you with this time?” 

“What do you want?” Meliodas said, clearly in a sour mood now. 

“Meliodas,” she chided. 

He looked at her, then let out a breath. “Ask your question,” he said. Elizabeth smiled. 

“Dr. Strange here has agreed to open the portal to Britannia. That is, if you two still want to return. Or you can stay here. Your choice.” 

Elizabeth felt as if a bucket of ice had been poured over her head. 

Oh gods, Britannia. How had she forgotten that she meant to go back? She turned to Meliodas, seeing panic in his wide green eyes. What were they going to do? 

She was just about to ask Meliodas when he separated their hands, and ran out the door. 

“Meliodas!” she called, but he didn’t return. “I’m sorry,” she said, looking to Tony and Dr. Strange. Before she could think, she was out the door and following Meliodas to the place she knew he would go: 

The roof. 

Moments later she slammed the door to the roof open, seeing Meliodas sitting on the edge above the field. 

“Meliodas,” she said, walking over to him. “What’s—” 

“Stop.” 

“What?” 

“Just stop.” 

She paused. “I don’t understand.” 

He looked at her, and she shuddered at the tears in his eyes. “We shouldn’t have done any of it. I should never have kissed you. We shouldn’t be together.” 

“What are you saying?” she said. She felt like needles were entering her skin. 

“I’m saying…this is over.” He turned away. “This never happened. I’ll go back to being prince of the demons, and you’ll be the princess of the goddesses.” 

“But it was—” 

“It was a dream, Elizabeth. Nothing more.” 

Rage boiled inside of her. She stomped over and knelt beside him. “I don’t believe you,” she hissed. 

“Oh, perfect. Why—” 

“Because everything is different, Meliodas. I know better now. The demons don’t deserve to be wiped out. My people are wrong. My…my mother is wrong.” As she spoke her voice grew in conviction. “I want to return to Britannia. Because I don’t run from things. Neither do you. You’re the demon prince, for heaven’s sake. Let’s go back together.” 

“And do what?” he snapped. 

“Stop this. Stop the war.” 

His mouth dropped open. “You’re serious about this, aren’t you?” 

“Yes.” 

MELIODAS:

Good gods, she was serious. She wanted to end a war that had been raging for who knew how long. What the hell was she thinking? 

And yet, there was no wavering in her eyes. As she looked at him, he saw all the strength of a true goddess. She wasn’t about to back down. 

“You really want to go back,” he said. “Even though you know what will happen to us?” 

“Even then.” 

He sighed and looked out over the field. After a moment he said, “The demons are wrong, too, you know.” 

She sat down beside him. “You think so?” 

“I know so. Goddesses don’t deserve to die. I haven’t been…completely honest with you.” He looked down. “The demons don’t just want to exterminate the goddesses. They want Britannia.” 

“What?” she said softly. 

“They want to make it into a second Demon World. A second hell. They want the territory for themselves.” He clenched his hands into fists. “I’m not about to let that happen.”

“Me neither.” She laid her hand on his. 

“I thought you said you didn’t want to kill demons.” 

“I don’t. I won’t kill them.” She grinned. “You’ll find I can be very persuasive.” 

He smirked. “You really want to talk to demons? Try to make them understand?” 

She nodded. 

He laughed. 

“What?” she said. 

“You’re the most stubborn being I know.” 

“Same goes for you.” 

“But…when we go back, and I suppose we are…I can’t just turn on the demons all of a sudden. You know that, right?” 

She turned her gaze to the ground. “I know.” 

“We’ll go slowly,” he said eagerly. “Bring about change. We can do that, right?” 

“…right.” 

He leaned in, and she closed her eyes. When he kissed her, he poured in all of his newfound affection and care. 

Without warning, she lifted him onto her lap. 

He had just slipped his tongue between her teeth when a throat cleared. Face burning, Meliodas looked up to see Tony. 

“Hey,” Elizabeth said, as if nothing was wrong. 

“When you two aren’t busy, Dr. Strange has the portal ready. If you want to go back, that is.” 

Meliodas slid off Elizabeth’s lap and stood. “Yes,” he said. “We’re going back.” 

“You are?” 

“Somebody’s got to change things.” 

Tony smiled. “Good. That’s kind of what I was hoping for.” 

“What?” 

“I may or may not have been trying to set you two up.” He shrugged. “What? You make a cute couple.” 

Meliodas looked to Elizabeth, shocked. Then he burst out laughing. 

“Well, thank you,” he said between laughs.

When he’d calmed down, Elizabeth stood and took his hand. 

“Let’s go back,” she said. 

“Yeah,” he agreed. “It’s time.” 

TONY: 

Tony stood in the living room with Rhodey, Bruce, and Natasha on one side of him, and Meliodas, Elizabeth, and Dr. Strange on the other. Dr. Strange looked at Meliodas and Elizabeth and said, 

“Okay, one last time. Are you sure?” 

“Yes,” they said. Their hands were clasped together. 

“Okay, then.” Dr. Strange lifted his hands, and after some quick motions Tony barely caught, the white circle once again opened on the ceiling. “Your route home,” he said, gesturing to the hole. 

“Thank you, Dr. Strange,” Elizabeth said. “And thank you all.” She turned to the Avengers. She elbowed Meliodas. “Say thank you,” she whispered. 

Meliodas groaned and said, “Thank you.” 

Elizabeth grinned. 

Tony smiled. They really were good kids, weren’t they? 

“All right,” he said. “Go on home.” 

“One quick thing,” Dr. Strange said. “I’ve made a slight adjustment to the portal.” 

“Adjustment?” Tony asked. “How?” 

“You two,” he said, pointing to Elizabeth and Meliodas. “Can come and go through the portal as you please. No one else. You can visit this world whenever you like. Warning though: the time between worlds can be weird. I think in Britannia, you’ve only been gone a few hours.” 

“Why, thank you,” Elizabeth said, sounding touched. “Then we’ll be back someday.” She and Meliodas waved once more to Tony and the others, and with a quick flap of their wings, the two were gone through the portal. 

Tony and the others stood there for a long time in silence. 

“By far, the weirdest three days I’ve ever had,” Natasha said, holding up her hands in surrender. 

“True,” Tony agreed. “But there are worse ways to spend three days.” 

“I suppose. They were really good kids.”

“I know right?” 

“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m hungry,” Bruce said. “What do you say?” 

Dr. Strange shook his head. “I should be going. I have things to attend to.” 

“Fine, fine,” Tony said. “But… seriously, Strange. Thanks for getting those kids home.” 

“You’re welcome.” 

“Now,” he said, turning to the others. “I’m starving too. Let’s eat.”


End file.
